last week of election.

School ate me alive two weeks ago, and I have just managed to crawl out from under it. To all five people who read this blog, I apologize for my absence.

It's unfortunate too, because a lot has happened in the last two weeks. I left you people at the English language leaders debate. I regret to say I missed the french language debate. Every time, I intend on seeing it, and I just don't. Probably because everyone who is not a French-speaking Quebecker is not remotely interested in it.

People should not have been so damn snotty about it; turns out, it could be the watershed moment of the election. Apparently, Jack Layton of the NDP really pulled a fast one on Duceppe, and has been winning support in Quebec ever since. Approval ratings of the NDP nationally are at 30% according to one poll, which compares favorably to the Tory  ratings of 35%.

Well so what? Firstly, this is a crushing humiliation to the Liberals, who for all their posing for being the only real alternative to the conservatives haven't managed to really set fire to the average Canadian's imagination. I feel bad for Ignatieff.

Secondly, this is a rebuke to both the Conservatives and Liberals for running such unimaginative campaigns in Quebec. I think both parties had written this province off as the territory of the Bloc Quebecois, and the  NDP success who that this is not altogether true.

Thirdly, it shows that you can experience success at a national level with a likeable party leader. This seems obvious, but the other parties have forgotten this. It might not be fair to judge a party by its leader, but I think this lack of connection between party leaders and the public explains why Harper's Tories are still begging for a majority five years after coming into power, and why the Liberals are being relegated to also-ran position.

Layton, unlike the other leaders, does not come off as either a doughy sociopathic man-child or ivy tower ex-aristocrat. Disagree with his politics all you like, but he looks like an approachable and hardworking kinda guy. Someone you could have a coffee and a donut with, someone you could form a connection with. 

Plus he looks like Popeye, which should play well with the voters. 

I feel I should say something in favour of the other parties to at least keep up the pretense of non-partisanship, but hell, it's my blog. So I'll be honest: as an NDP supporter, I'm pretty excited by this.

But I'm going to try and reign in my hopes. There's five days left to campaign in, and that's a long time in politics.