Final Ballot and new Liberal leader

Total Valid Poll - 4,605
Needed to Win - 2,304

Candidate - 1st - 2nd - 3rd - 4th

Dion - 858 - 974 - 1,782 - 2,529
Ignatieff - 1,412 - 1,481 - 1,660 - 2,076


Well, at least the environment will have a champion at a very senior level in Canadian politics, as Dion is one of the architects of the Kyoto second level targets and actually named his dog Kyoto.

It will cause upset in the Liberal party as all the old guard were backing Iggy or Rae. But who cares about that.

And poor Iggy. I do admire his journalism and intellect. But he's not a very good politician.

So now Canadian politics are remarkably like Irish politics. Without the personality.

Stephen Harper is Michael McDowell without the personality.
Stephane Dion is Michael D. without the personality.
The Greens are just as annoying and lacking in personality as their Irish counterparts, but they're in trouble now with a viable Liberal alternative.
And Jack Layton is Enda Kenny with a porn star moustache.

And I'm done with politics for a month. Onto nicer things.... my forthcoming holiday to Ireland.