Demos...

Probably not that any of you care, but we had a federal election on Monday.

It was an election nobody really wanted to endure but the results were actually historic; for the first time ever, the Liberal Party did not win or come in second, but were slighted down to 34 out of a possible 308 seats.

Add to that the historical factor for the New Democratic Party, finally gaining enough popular support to become the official opposition.

Oh, and add to that the first win of the Green Party, who finally got one seat after years of campaigning.

All in all, if you're interested in politics, then the election results have certainly delivered a lot to talk about and analyze.

I'm incredibly pleased to see the near-destruction of the Liberal Party. They have lost so much support, even from their traditionally strong ridings like Toronto. I know most people will try and blame it on the now-former head of the party, Michael Ignatieff, but I'd like to attribute it to the colossal arrogance and wishy-washyness.

Firstly, they consider themselves 'Canada's natural governing party'. As in, we're the defacto rulers of the land, we're that fucking awesome. It irks me to no end that they truly believe they ought to play the role of the 'people's party' and that their way is the natural order of things.

Secondly, the party has tried to be all things to all people. They court the vote of every minority possible, play the multiculturalism card at any opportunity yet have a hierarchy of mostly old, white males in powerful positions. Their very fabric has been stretched so thin that I suspect the average party member has no idea what ideologies they stand for.

If you thought John Kerry was a flip-flopper, you should watch the Liberal Party dance.

Of course, ever the optimists, the Liberals have spun their crushing defeat as a 'good opportunity to do some soul searching' and get back in touch with their roots. I have no doubt that they'll be back, perhaps even in the next election, but it's a sweet moment to savour for the next four years.

This is all not to say that the Canadian public, Joe 12-pack (our average Joes drink more than your average Joes), is intelligent or has made its choices based on sound judgment. In one Quebec riding, an NDP candidate who lived 300 kilometers from the seat she was trying to win ditched the campaign mid-way for a trip to Vegas. She won her seat handily, which is a shocking outcome from such a shoddy campaign.

So, now we have four years of political stability, with a new official opposition. I'm actually looking forward to seeing what will come out of the newest Parliament and hoping that there are no political curve balls that screw the whole thing up.

But as with all things in life, time will tell.