Dr. Eric Hoskins wins the Liberal nomination for Haldimand-Norfolk.

Whooee! Dang good news, sez I. I might even vote fer Hoskins if it looks like he needs my vote. I don’t figger he will. I had a call a while back from one o’ Hoskins boosters. They wanted me to join up with the Grits so’s I could help get the doc nominated. I told the good ol’ gal that I couldn’t join two parties an’ I’m already carryin’ a GPC membership card. I also told her that I figger Eric Hoskins can whip Diane Finley without my Green vote.

By-the-by, Scotty, I posted up a boog story today full of advice fer beatin’ the CANTDU ConMen. My main advice is fer the anti-Harper bunch to stump on a positive message to counter the naysayin’ doom’n'gloomers an’ Prime Minister Pretty Boy an’ his psychic soothsayer.

JimBobby
Haldimand-Norfolk Voter

Gee Aaron.. if you don’t think its a particularly high #, why don’t you call out the bright investigative team at ThePolitic and visit the riding to find out? If you knew the riding or the area (which I’m pretty sure you don’t), you’d see that 70% is very good , given the size of the riding and the circumstances of it being a gorgeous day. You could ask Diane Finley that, but she’s now only rumoured to be the sitting MP here… no one’s actually seen her in ages.

As for the “good doctor” (said in sarcasm I am sure, but his credentials speak for themselves and he really is one of the “good guys”), he only joined the race a week or 2 before the time expired to sign up people and to be eligible to vote, so he did quite well, thanks very much.

One vote? My, who the hell was he up against with those credentials?

I’m thrilled that he won. I did not know that he had received all those awards, but I did know about some of his work with War Child Canada.

I’m liking the calibre of people getting involved in the party.

Scott, I know the region has trended conservative, but I’m not so sure that is holding. My SIL, lives there, (a former nurse and really involved in all things municipal), and is seeing some change. It remains to be seen and I’m not entirely convinced that Finley is running again.

We shall see, but this is good news indeed.

Only 70% turnout? What a disgusting number. I’m sure Aaron knows a few communist or dictatorships where the turnout is MUCH greater, or else… I’d gamble that most ridings are aiming for 60% turnout, certainly at our urban riding we hit 55% before the last election out of 1100 members. And we were pretty proud of those 600 voters. I’m guessing, having read the credentials of your candidate, that Finlay is going to have a real fight on her hands. Harpor will need to splurge on more than some token tobacco farmers to protect it from falling to the good guys.

Thanks Scott. 2 weeks to sign up that many, this is a good sign imo.

The out of the country stuff, when it is done on behalf of Canada…sorry, faulting that will not fly.

Thrilled I tell you, that is what I am.

Whooee! “the tobacco farmers and industries related to them have already been bought off”

Not quite, Aaron. The tobacka farmers ain’t got the billion dollar buyout they’re lookin’ for. Chuck Strahl gave ‘em the word to fergit about that figure an’ come in with somethin’ reasonable. They ain’t havin’ it. They want he billion bucks an’ Diane sez she’s workin’ to get it fer ‘em. Hoskins sez he wants “fair” buyout. Diane did manage to steer a questionable tax credit to Simcoe Leaf, one of the local tobacka-related industries but as far as the farmers are concerned, she ain’t delivered.

Our previous MP was Bob Speller. He sat for 16 years and was Minister of Agriculture in 2004 when he was defeated by Finley. Even havin’ the Ag Minister fer MP in a farm riding didn’t ensure Speller’s election. He tried again in 2006 and was beaten by a wider margin than in 2004.

Ministers don’t spend as much time on constituency issues as non-ministers. Local voters can feel neglected and, indeed, when Bob Speller was in Washington meeting with Bush on the mad cow crisis, locals were bitchin’ that he was workin’ fer Alberta ranchers instead of Norfolk tobacka farmers.

Finley’s takin’ a lotta justified heat fer her neglect of the riding — pertickerly vis-a-vis Caledonia. Hoskin’s main rival fer the nomination was a Caledonia resident who was stumpin’ on the single issue of the Native occupation at Douglas Creek. From what I hear-tell, the nomination vote was as close as it was because of anti-Indian Hewitt supporters signin’ up in large numbers.

I’m predictin’ Hoskins’ll beat Finley whenever he gets a chance.

JB