As I see it, there are really no differences between the PCs and the Liberals – weak leader, pathetically weak caucus, and weak party machinery. The difference is that the Tories have a rock-solid base of 30% of the voters – mostly cranky old white guys, holy rollers and rural rednecks – who will vote for the PC brand no matter what, while the Liberals have a base of 10% at best.

Hugh needs to get some serious talent in the backrooms if they want to become contenders for power again. Here’s what a pro would have had him say last night:

“I congratulate Bill Blaikie and Frank Whitehead on their wins tonight. Frankly, we knew we were in for an uphill battle in these seats, and so while we are disappointed, we are not particularly surprised by the outcome. I do want to say that I am very, very proud of Adrian Shultz and Edna Nabess, who worked very hard and put a lot of energy and effort into their campaigns. They are committed to their communities, they are great candidates and would be great MLAs. I hope they will continue to contribute to public life and to our party. The PC members in Elmwood and The Pas should be proud of the campaigns they ran, and I look forward to taking the fight to Gary Doer and the NDP in the next general election. Tonight’s by-elections did make one thing very clear: we are the only alternative to the NDP. If we keep working hard together, we will elect a Conservative government. Thank you.”