The Grits' Quebec wasteland.

Brian Topp, NDP strategist and Globe guest pundit, is cheesed that Iggy made his first Quebec foray in the riding of Tom Mulcair, the Dippers' sole seat in la belle province.

That very day, Topp gleefully notes, CROP released these poll results for Quebec:

Best PM: Layton, 22%; Harper, 17%, Ignatieff, 5%.

Quebecker voting intentions: BQ, 38%; Tories, 23%; NDP, 20%; Liberals, 11%.

Among francophones: BQ, 44%; NDP, 21%; Tories, 21%; Liberals, 8%.

Far more Quebeckers believe in UFOs, Topp surmises, than believe Iggy would make a good PM. I wouldn't know about that; Brian is acutely attuned to Quebec. Here in the West End Word Factory's neighborhood in Toronto, the belief in extra-terrestials runs about 51%-57%. Or about even with Icelanders who believe in elves (sorry, "little people, as they're called in Reykjavik), at a pretty constant 55%.

Topp says the Grits were hoisted on their own petard. But getting that traditionally LIberal seat back, and showing commitment to that cause, should matter big time for Iggy. Dropping in on Mulcair's riding isn't the poke in the eye Brian feels it is.

But for fun here's Topp:

If Mr. Ignatieff and his advisers really believe their rhetoric that all anti-Conservative voters (at least, the federalist ones) are obliged to vote for the party best positioned against Stephen Harper, then his next campaign stop in Tom Mulcair’s riding should be to endorse him – along with 74 other NDP candidates in Quebec.