We'll see if this shows up in the Globe.

If the major political parties were ice cream:

The Liberals would be vanilla. A really great vanilla ice cream is powerfully flavoured with a subtle sophistication and appeals to a very wide audience. On the other hand a crappy vanilla ice cream tastes a lot like rubber and is only in people’s freezers because they think it is supposed to be there. Vanilla takes on other flavours really well and many exciting and dynamic ice creams are made with it, but no one seems to remember that the base is vanilla.

The NDP would be the special. No one is quite sure what they’d be getting. They read the description, it sounds ok, but they will just have to see how it pans out because they’ve never had it before. The ice cream shop wants to try it out, and if it sells well, maybe it will become a main flavour.

The Greens would be pistachio. Parts of it are a bit nutty, but it is mostly a smooth refined flavour for appreciated by many sophisticated palettes. A lot of people don’t think they will like it, but after they get a taste they ask why it isn’t commonly available. Also, some people are allergic to it.

The Conservatives would be sherbet. They tell you it’s good for your diet, but when you look at the back of the carton it’s no better for you than the special ice cream of the day. You thought it would be a nice change from vanilla, but after you’ve had some you realize you would have rather had ice cream.