It's oh so quiet (shhh, shhh)
I don’t know why I feel guilty for the lack of posts here over the last three weeks – it’s not as if there are legions of disappointed readers out there – but in case you want an excuse, I’ve been on holiday and then had gastro-enteritis, so I haven’t really felt like writing much. Plus I didn’t really have anything to say anyway.
Now that I’m feeling a little better, let’s talk about politics.
I read today about the Liberal Democrats’ Ten Pledges, their responses and proposed policies on ten key areas of current government policy.
In the adverts, the Lib Dems highlight government policies which they oppose, such as the Iraq War, hospital targets, compulsory ID cards and “hidden tax increases”, then suggest their own alternatives. Instead of introducing ID cards, they say they would fund 10,000 more police officers. Other plans include increasing only one tax – on income above £100,000 a year – and introducing free personal care for the elderly, along with £100 extra a month for over-75s. And they highlight tuition fees, plans to replace council tax with a local income tax and the war in Iraq.
Labour’s defensive response to the Lib Dems actually suggesting some sensible policies is that “a vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote for the Tories” – and, by and large, they are right. There are only a very few seats where the Lib Dems are a viable second choice and, given that the majority of defectors will be ex-Labour voters alienated by the Iraq war and other factors, reducing the Labour vote in favour of the Liberal Democrat candidate will actually give the Tory candidate a clear run at the seat.
But it doesn’t have to.
Voteswapping
Voteswapping is a way to both vote as you want, and make your vote count. It works by matching Labour voters with Lib Dem voters in different electoral areas. If you are a Lib Dem voter in an area with a shaky Labour majority, where your vote shift could facilitate a Tory win, you are matched with a Labour voter in an area where the Liberal Democrat candidate is a strong second place. And you swap your votes. You get (by proxy) to vote Lib Dem and hopefully elect an MP, even if it’s not your MP, and your counterpart gets to vote Labour and keep the Tory from taking the seat in your constituency.
Everyone wins – well, except the Tories.
Find out more at www.tacticalvoter.net, where you can sign up to receive more information.
I should point out that, despite appearances from this post, I’m not a raving Lib Dem supporter – but I do believe in proportional representation and also that anything that leads to a greater variety of viewpoints and voices in Parliament is a good thing.
Filed under: General.
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Comments
- Vic
- 2610 days ago
- Great PR BNP in parliament and as many elections as the Italians have had since the war.
- #1
