Newfoundland election, Nov 2015

[DC Al Fine]

Yeah, this one will not be close

[DC Al Fine]

Here in Britain there are quite a few councils without an opposition (Manchester immediately springs to mind), can I ask if a provincial election has ever produced a literal one party state?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Brunswick_general_election,_1987

Tldr: Tory Premier seeking his 5th term did the following:

1) Used a government plane to go clubbing in Manhattan
2) Enjoyed Berlusconi style bunga bunga parties, only with more cocaine and gay men

New Brunswick is very rural so the NDP weren't a factor.

[DC Al Fine]

I'm expecting at least one election result that would have looked ridiculous before the campaign starts in the next 4 years, so I figured it might as well be Manitoba.

I'll do you one better. The Tories will win an increased majority in Newfoundland this month

[DC Al Fine]

There are ridings that will always go Liberal in Newfoundland. The question is, is the same true for the Tories? I can see them holding on to Ferryland and Cape St. Francis.

It's certainly possible. Politics are more local in Atlantic Canada, especially in rural areas. Personally I predict the Tories and NDP will retain one seat each.

[DC Al Fine]

Early days but the Tories lead in... seven seats. That's surprisingly not that terrible.

[DC Al Fine]

Not a bad night for the Tories all things considered :/

[DC Al Fine]

Astonishing results in Burgeo - La Poile

Liberal 3998 votes
PC 93 votes
NDP 53 votes

in %, Lib 97%, PC 2%, NDP 1%

North Korea!!

Apt given the history of the Newfie Liberals...

Do the NL Liberals historically have some sort of infatuation with communists? I think someone else here said the first Premier admired the Soviet Union. What's the deal with that?

Joey Smallwood edited a pro-Bolshevik newspaper in New York in the 1920's, and the vote to join Canada was ever so slightly rigged.

[DC Al Fine]

Given that we are discussing the 1949 referendum I will have a few questions:

1) Is there any sympathy towards independence in Newfoundland today?
2) Why were the wealthy and Catholics so opposed to confederation? Given how pre-1949 Newfoundland was like, why was the referendum so close?

1) No. Newfoundland independence was always a non-starter, even in the 1940's. Anti-Confederation Newfies were split between continuing as a British dependency similar to the Cayman Islands, or trying to join up with the United States. (e.g. Former Tory leadership contender John Crosbie's father was leader of the Party for Economic Union with the United States)

2) Newfoundland's main industry was exporting cod to the United States. Canada/America at the time maintained extremely high tariffs against each other, which hurt the cod industry when Newfoundland joined. Also, the main pro-confederation leaders were Orangemen, which as all Irish people know, is exactly what Catholics like in a leader

Actually, the referendum wasn't just super close. The anti-confederates probably should have won. While the vote wasn't exactly fixed, the election wouldn't be considered "free and fair" by today's standards.