DOYLE

After a brief bit of research on the candidates in my riding, St John's North, I've decided that I'll likely vote for Norm Doyle, the Conservative.

I voted for him the last time around - back when the district was still called St John's East, even though I was leaning more toward the Alliance on most issues. Basically I discounted the Alliance after realizing that (a) they wouldn't take the riding and (b) the candidates they had selected for the province weren't up to scratch.

One example comes from one of the few online interviews I could find with a Newfoundland Alliance candidate back in 2000. This bozo, whose name I can't recall, was advocating an increase in the minimum wage - which is hardly a free-market conservative position and, moreover, is a provincial and not federal matter.

Anyway, Doyle has a reasonably good reputation locally - although he isn't much of a presence in Ottawa - and as an incumbent has the best chance of keeping the Liberals down.

The unfortunate thing is that he seems to be a social conservative.

Canadians for Equal Marriage has given him the lowest score and targeted him for defeat.

Still, I won't quite be holding my nose when I vote, if only because I have genuine respect for Steven Harper.