Help abolish tactical voting: vote tactically tomorrow to keep the Tories out

[ciphergoth]

Please vote tactically to keep the Tories out.

This is what I want to say to everyone before you vote tomorrow, but it's aimed especially at Liberal Democrat supporters in Lab/Con marginal seats. I'm not a Liberal Democrat but I would like you to do as well as possible tomorrow because there's an awful lot of your agenda I want heard - especially voting reform.

Looking at the betting odds, it's pretty clear that the only plausible outcomes are a hung parliament or a Tory majority; there's no chance of a Labour majority.

In the event of a hung parliament, the Liberal Democrats will likely wield many votes and have considerable power to advance their agenda, power they've never had before. In particular, there's every chance they'll finally be able to force through the voting reform we've all waited for for so long; voting reform that will mean that the party finally gets the voice that its popular support would warrant. What we're calling a Liberal Democrat "moment" could be a lasting Liberal Democrat revolution.

In the event of a Tory majority, even a slim one, exactly the opposite will happen. Just like George W Bush in 2000, they're singing a centrist song now, but will rule to their own agenda once they have power. They won't reform voting - their 10% seat cut is no reform and could unbalance things further.

There hasn't been a hung parliament for (ISTR) 35 years, so opportunities like this don't come often. Of course plugging hard at length is an important part of winning, but so is seizing opportunities to break barriers that you might not get another chance to break for a very long time. And that means voting Labour where they are the only candidate who can beat the Tory.

I'm talking here about the consequences of your vote. There's a temptation to choose your vote based on whether you'll enjoy telling people about it. I know not everyone feels this way, but to me one action is better than another if it brings about better consequences. I'm asking you to choose yours on the basis of what might actually happen as a result. We can do away with the ridiculous problem with our voting system that means I have to ask you this. But it means voting whatever way you need to vote tomorrow to prevent a Tory majority.

Guardian guide to tactical voting

Comments

[lizw.livejournal.com]

Paul - by all means tell people to vote tactically because you want to avoid a Tory Government, but please stop acting like you're saying it to help the Lib Dems. We don't want that kind of help. Leave it to us to decide what's best for our party and how it can best achieve its goals. I actually agree with you for the most part about evaluating actions according to their likely consequences - but there are not only different assessments of what the likely consequences are, but also several different types of consequences to consider.

(And not that it really matters, but the last hung parliament was 1996-1997, when Major led a minority Tory Government - although 35 years is about right if you mean that 1974 was the last one that immediately followed a general election).

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the correction on hung parliaments!

If I get time, I'll try to make it clearer that I don't say this out of some sort of generosity towards the LDs, but as a means to advance those parts of my agenda that overlap with the LD agenda, like voting reform. Obviously I won't necessarily take the LD leadership's word for it on what will serve those goals.

[ergotia.livejournal.com]

I find this extraordinary.