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But no, it seems it was all a misunderstanding. When Mr. Mulcair said it was there, a year ago, that he had “opened [the] door” to the NDP forming a coalition government with Mr. Trudeau’s Liberals after the next election, and that Mr. Trudeau, in response, had “slammed the door so hard on my fingers, it wasn’t even funny,” he did not mean that Mr. Trudeau was literally there, or had slammed any literal doors. He meant he gave a speech.

Still, if Mr. Mulcair’s meaning was not entirely clear, geospatially — mystified Liberal officials on Tuesday denied their leader had ever set foot in the Irish embassy, though it’s possible they were referring to the pub — it’s as clear as day what he’s up to. The NDP leader never misses an opportunity these days to talk up the possibility of coalition government, the better to suggest to wavering left-wing voters that they can vote NDP and still dispose of the hated Conservatives.

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“It’s a strategy designed to ward off voters who think they need to vote Liberal in order to avoid another Stephen Harper Conservative government, an NDP strategist said,” Althia Raj reported. “The message is designed to make potential New Democrat voters more comfortable with the idea of casting a ballot for the NDP, the adviser explained.”

Not one of them top-secret strategies, then.

Telegraphing desperation is generally best avoided in politics, but this all makes perfect sense for the NDP. The current federal seat projection at threehundredeight.com, which is based on aggregated polls, has the New Democrats finishing third, with 66 seats; the Liberals second with 123; and the Conservatives first with 143. Scientifically, this result would be a disaster for the New Democrats only in comparison to the 2011 result, which exceeded the expectations even of those who envisioned and cultivated the party’s breakthrough in Quebec. Politically, however, the disaster would be real. The need for silver linings would be acute.