Meanwhile over in Canada

Canadian affairs rarely feature in the British media, but the big story tonight is that the Canadian government has lost a Motion of No Confidence and there will soon be a general election. The margin was wide 171-133 and reflects the problems of a hung parliament and the Liberals losing the support of their New Democrat allies earlier this month. And so a general election looms.

I don't honestly know very much about Canadian politics and things are made even more complicated by the realignment on the centre and right in the last few years that has seen a succession of conservative parties first challenge the old Progressive Conservative Party and then merge with it to form the current Conservative Party. I suspect I would be a "Red Tory" but that's a major problem in itself as the Red Tories have found themselves scattered by the merger, with some joining the new party, some joining the Liberals, some retiring from politics and even a few trying to create a new PCP to claim the old mantle which frankly has as about as much chance of succeeding as the UK's "Not the Lib Dems Liberal Party" does here. The recent party change by Belinda Stronach shows that things haven't settled down yet.

Over the next few months we'll no doubt see more about the Canadian election in the media and maybe someone can explain what it's all about.