Short Takes

Just a few notes:

• The Libs have fallen, but not with the thud some predicted.   Paul Martin's concession speech was dignified and decent.  It's a shame he didn't perform this way in the campaign.  The reason for the mild Liberal resurgence?  My bet is that the polls putting the Tories WAY in the lead made a lot of people in Ontario retreat to the Libs as a cautionary measure.  Call it the lesson of the short leash.  Ontario and the Maritimes seem to have spared the Libs from being rendered irrelevant. 
• Glee, oh glee: my own riding kicked Tony Valeri to the curb, and all of Hamilton proper went NDP.  No real glee on the latter, but definitely on the former.  (Sheila Copps is probably having multiple orgasms right now.) The Dippers owe their new seats to four areas: the Northwest Territories, B.C., Toronto and Hamilton.  Layton's speech, by the way, was lousy. 
• Harper's speech, airing now, is surprisingly good, though I wonder how well he'll do by cities.  Most major urban areas rejected the Tories outright.  Eek.
• Martin's announcement of his resignation as Lib leader means Harper will effectively have a majority government.  With a leadership race on the way and their coffers depleted, the Libs need time, and felling the government won't be a priority or even an option.  (Unless, of course, Martin pulls a Trudeau and un-quits if he smells blood.  Not likely, but not beyond the pale, either.)
• Best news of all: the BQ had the wind taken out of its sails.  Let's hope this is the start of something.

So, all in all, probably the results-- give or take-- I could have hoped for, really.  Now let's see how it works.