NDP Surge?

From the Angus Reid Global Monitor:

Many adults in Canada would be satisfied with the New Democratic Party (NDP) becoming the largest opposition party in the country, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 62 per cent of respondents think the NDP would do a good job as the official opposition in Ottawa.

Conversely, 51 per cent of respondents think the NDP would not do a good job as the next federal government.

The polling data:

Polling Data

Do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

	Agree	Disagree	Not sure
The NDP would do a good job as the official opposition in Ottawa	62%	29%	10%
The NDP would do a good job as the next federal government	38%	51%	11%

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,007 Canadian adults, conducted on Sept. 8 and Sept. 9, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

Complete poll (download pdf)

It surprises me little that the Liberals aren’t looking strong.  Stéphane Dion has been compromising Liberal politics for years now, giving in to Harper policy and legislation in order to avoid going to the polls.  As has been mentioned on this blog before, Dion’s inability to forge a respectable opposition to the Conservative government has not led to confidence in his own leadership abilities or in the party itself.  Can he change that in a month’s time?  Who knows, but my prediction is, no he can’t.

It’s very early days yet, but when larger numbers of people head over to the NDP, even seeing them as providing a more effective opposition rather than a government, it has to be a terrible sign for Stephen Harper – a sign of a profound lack of confidence in his abilities.  And if that keeps up, I’ll be a happy political camper.  Layton’s NDP by no means embodies my political aspirations, but it comes a helluva lot closer than anything else.

At Accidental Deliberations, you’ll find a post covering the possibility that the NDP may pick up more seats than its hoping for in la belle province.

I’m also one of those who is pleased that Layton is running for Prime Minister, rather than as Leader of the Opposition.  Go for gold!  I think his confidence inspires confidence in the voters and allows Layton to engage with the issues against the man he really wants to get.  The decision to run against the Liberals in the last campaign drove me nuts.