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There was a time when the thought of an election campaign excited me. In this business heated debate and thoughtful discussion is always welcome. And everyone likes a good race.

So why then when I read about Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff's ponderings about the possibility of toppling the Conservative government this autumn did I grow nauseous?

Enough with the federal elections already! About this time last year, Prime Minister Stephen Harper broke his fixed election promise and called one. Now, with the Tories far from bulletproof, the federal Liberals are thinking about taking the man down and sending us to the polls once again. Arrrgh!

If Ignatieff and his crew had some sort of magic wand that would pull Canada out of its economic doldrums, I'd welcome a shot at taking out the Tories. But the Liberals don't have the answer. All they have is a thirst for power. Different doesn't always mean better.

Looking at a federal election from the Southern Interior angle is even more sickening. NDP MP Alex Atamanenko won the last election by default and there's no reason to believe he wouldn't do it again. Sorry Rob Zandee and Brenda Jagpal. The level of charisma and spark in the last local race was at an all time low. At times it was uncomfortable, other times embarrassing and most often just a big waste of time.

Would the Liberals win? Ignatieff is a much stronger leader than Stephane Dion so they might have a shot. But what if they don't? If Harper and his team are so bad, why not let the Tories flounder through another year. If their opponents are right, by that time Canadians will be ready for revolution.

The only person that really stands to gain is NDP leader Jack Layton. It's during elections that Canadians are actually forced to listen to him. But that's certainly no reason to torture the rest of us. Take a deep breath Iggy and step away from the trigger.

— Managing Editor Bob Hall

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