[Politics] Tactical Voting at the General Election

[Dinner with Gotsmanov]

They had a choice of what to do and chose to get into bed with the Tories, knowing full well of their ongoing plans to reform student loans. This was a (arguably THE) key manifesto pledge from the Libs, and one which secured them an enormous turnout from young voters. They shat on them (us) from a great height because they got a whiff of power.

I understand people defending a party and partisan politics will always be a thing, but absolutely nobody even within the party ranks is defending their behaviour. They essentially admitted they got walked all over, and numerous top Tories have said they can’t believe how easily the Libs backed down.

This was the one, major vote winner and they abjectly failed, as reflected in subsequent election results and decimation of the under 30 and student vote.


And, once again, FPTP requires me to hold my nose and vote for them despite the direct cost they caused me. I don’t like it, but I’ll have to go along with it.

What royally peed me off about Clegg was his attitude at the LD conference in 2010. I believe there was disquiet in the LD ranks and Nick the Pr1ck’s response was to smugly stand on stage and spout ‘we are in government’. To me, this reflected his naked ambition and the priority that being on gov was all that mattered despite the fact that a lot of his party disagreed with the ConDem deal. Shatting on his pledge about tuition fees and the support for austerity reinforced my view.

Thankfully, opting Labour in my current constituency seems the best way to get rid of our incumbent Tory MP so no need to think about tactical voting. Would be headache if LDs were the best chance to dump our MP.

 

[RustyKent]

I'll be voting tactically, but Tories have a 20k majority in my constituency, with a locally based MP.

I've voted Tory in the past, but can't bring myself to vote for them again in my lifetime.

 

[jcdenton08]

What royally peed me off about Clegg was his attitude at the LD conference in 2010. I believe there was disquiet in the LD ranks and Nick the Pr1ck’s response was to smugly stand on stage and spout ‘we are in government’. To me, this reflected his naked ambition and the priority that being on gov was all that mattered despite the fact that a lot of his party disagreed with the ConDem deal. Shatting on his pledge about tuition fees and the support for austerity reinforced my view.

Thankfully, opting Labour in my current constituency seems the best way to get rid of our incumbent Tory MP so no need to think about tactical voting. Would be headache if LDs were the best chance to dump our MP.

Absolutely superb post and I completely agree. Sadly getting our local Tory out just barely overrides my strong dislike for and anger with the Libs, but I’m really going to have to hold my nose.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Absolutely superb post and I completely agree. Sadly getting our local Tory out just barely overrides my strong dislike for and anger with the Libs, but I’m really going to have to hold my nose.

I know from numerous posts you're written how angry you are with the LDs, so I'd like to say I admire you voting in the country's interests, as you see them. That I happen to agree with you is obviously neither here nor there.

I'm "lucky" enough to live in a constituency where I have a clear choice between Labour and the Conservatives. Apart from anything else, I'm reliably told that my Tory MP is the sort of man who parks across flat entrances so the inhabitants can't get in or out, so he's a prick quite aside from his political views. My main problem is having to explain to all the individually lovely Green Party members I know why I'm not willing to risk voting for them.

 

[Bodian]

I'll be voting tactically, but Tories have a 20k majority in my constituency, with a locally based MP.

I've voted Tory in the past, but can't bring myself to vote for them again in my lifetime.

Have you seen the survation poll (if this is your constituency)?

Thank you!

Thank you so much for voting tactically!

www.getvoting.org

 

[Bodian]

I’ve had nothing from any candidates. They obviously don’t want my vote.

Pretty sure I’ll be spoiling my ballot paper for this one. Blue Tories making way for the Red Tories. Our electoral system is in great need of reform.

You don't have to rely on expensive mailshots - there's plenty online if you wish to look!

Labour will win in my constituency so no point in voting tactically according to the Tory Out guides.

I’ve now received some pamphlets through the door. Out of the three parties I’d vote for, one candidate has announced that they are ‘Brighton Born & Bred’ and ‘An Albion Season Ticket Holder’. An interesting sales technique!

Brighton Born & Bred, not Hove then? Narrow escape!

 

[RustyKent]

Thank you, that is my constituency. I will be voting Labour then.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Thank you, that is my constituency. I will be voting Labour then.

That's an interesting site. It is quite close here in Faversham, but the tories are still ahead.

I was chatting with Comerade Sam yesterday and he is convinced that in Walthamstow the former Labour candidate who was booted out for careless antisemitism by association (liking someone's dodgy tweet) is massively supported (judged from the number of posters on display). But the GetVoting site has labour miles ahead in her constituency, with her nowhere.

Is is inaccurate?

With all the outrage about Starmer suspending a Muslim candidate for antisemitism, there has been no complaints that I have seen over labour suspending a white male candidate for Putin-apologism.

Labour candidate Andy Brown suspended for 'sharing pro-Russian posts'

Andy Brown is said to have posted links to an article from state-run RT suggesting the novichok used to poison former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter did not come from Russia.

news.sky.com

I rather like Starmer's ruthless and swift action. Stark contrast with Sunk's dithering.

 

[stewart12]

in West Worthing it would be Labour who I would ideally voting for anyway

think it'll be a close one

 

[Tubby Mondays]

I can’t vote tactically as that would mean voting Lib Dem and every time I see Lib Dems I see
1) David Bellotti
2) Norman Baker
3) Nick Clegg propping up Cameron

Having now checked on the tactical voting site that someone put up it appears that in my constituency (Sussex Weald) that Labour are the ones to vote tactfully for.

I havent got a problem with that but wonder how? It maybe because of the boundary changes of the new ward but in 2019 when it was just Wealden Labour got 9,000 votes, the Lib Dems 11,000 and the Conservatives err 37,000?!

 

[Bodian]

Having now checked on the tactical voting site that someone put up it appears that in my constituency (Sussex Weald) that Labour are the ones to vote tactfully for.

I havent got a problem with that but wonder how? It maybe because of the boundary changes of the new ward but in 2019 when it was just Wealden Labour got 9,000 votes, the Lib Dems 11,000 and the Conservatives err 37,000?!

Love the idea of a 'tactful vote'. Sort of voting for someone, but not telling them you are in case it embarrasses them.

 

[RandyWanger]

The current place I call home

 

[Baldseagull]

They had a choice of what to do and chose to get into bed with the Tories, knowing full well of their ongoing plans to reform student loans. This was a (arguably THE) key manifesto pledge from the Libs, and one which secured them an enormous turnout from young voters. They shat on them (us) from a great height because they got a whiff of power.

I understand people defending a party and partisan politics will always be a thing, but absolutely nobody even within the party ranks is defending their behaviour. They essentially admitted they got walked all over, and numerous top Tories have said they can’t believe how easily the Libs backed down.

This was the one, major vote winner and they abjectly failed, as reflected in subsequent election results and decimation of the under 30 and student vote.


And, once again, FPTP requires me to hold my nose and vote for them despite the direct cost they caused me. I don’t like it, but I’ll have to go along with it.

The way I see it, it was essential that we had a Government that could act, not a minority Government, after the financial crash. They had to get into bed with someone,, or we would have had an unworkable minority Government or another election.
Lib dems would have been criticised more if they had propped up Labour, as they were the incumbents and had lost the majority, and had fewer seats than Tories. What they did was play that possibility to get quite a bit of their manifesto in the coalition agreement, for them, the most important issue was electoral reform, and they got a referendum on it in. They also knew they would get a kicking at the next election by dropping the student fees pledge, but in truth, that policy was unaffordable and had to go.
They did the right thing, and managed to soften hugely the Tory policy on loans and fees.
You would have been worse off as a student with either pure Tory Policy or pure Labour policy, and you had a chance of getting AV rather than FPTP in future.

 

[Frutos]

Where I live, despite boundary changes, has been Labour without interruption since 1935.

Hard to see a scenario at any election where tactical voting would make any difference.

 

[Tubby Mondays]

The way I see it, it was essential that we had a Government that could act, not a minority Government, after the financial crash. They had to get into bed with someone,, or we would have had an unworkable minority Government or another election.
Lib dems would have been criticised more if they had propped up Labour, as they were the incumbents and had lost the majority, and had fewer seats than Tories. What they did was play that possibility to get quite a bit of their manifesto in the coalition agreement, for them, the most important issue was electoral reform, and they got a referendum on it in. They also knew they would get a kicking at the next election by dropping the student fees pledge, but in truth, that policy was unaffordable and had to go.
They did the right thing, and managed to soften hugely the Tory policy on loans and fees.
You would have been worse off as a student with either pure Tory Policy or pure Labour policy, and you had a chance of getting AV rather than FPTP in future.

They got a referendum on a form of voting reform that they didnt support though!

 

[Is it PotG?]

Doomed whatever the outcome. No party is fit to govern it seems. All full of

Absoblooominlutlely.

Starmer and Sunak identical on tax, and avoiding being truthful.

All the bloody same.

 

[Baldseagull]

They got a referendum on a form of voting reform that they didnt support though!

It's what happens in coalitions, you strike a bargain somewhere in the middle.
It wasn't their preferred option, but it seemed a good system to me, you still return an MP for your constituency, but you can vote as you wish, and tactically at the same time. No vote wasted.

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

Have you seen the survation poll (if this is your constituency)?

Thank you!

Thank you so much for voting tactically!

www.getvoting.org

I typed my postcode into that site earlier today.
Current Tory MP had 60% share of the vote for Sussex weald in 2019 and I was considering voting LD tactically, despite being a member of the Labour party.
That site however, suggest that Labour and Tory are neck and neck with a projected 30% each with LDs and others trailing significantly.
I wish I could be certain.....

 

[Blue3]

The Conservatives are finished and like the original Tories who in the 1800’s split into rival factions out of which the Conservatives were formed who over the past 30 years have run out of ideas and are now devoid of anything just a hollow shell of lies cheats and corrupt incompetence that have left this country cut off from its nearest biggest neighbours, without the promises of no downsides just sunlight uplands, a union of nations that now looks further apart than at any time in my 64 years, our NHS on its knees, Schools much the same, social care we were told by Boris he had a ready made plan never materialised, crooks stole millions during Covid, while they partied the Queen sat alone at her husbands funeral, we left Afghans who risked their lives helping our troops on the runway, deported the Windrush generation this and so much more I hate the Tories/Conservative/Reform what ever they are called now or in the future they have never represented anything that I hold dear as far as I am concerned the are scum.

The Wiggs who became the liberals then the Liberal Democrat’s were for many years an ally to Labour when coalition’s were required but what they did with the Conservatives under Cameron was despicable and can never be forgiven

Reform are the pub party where a couple of drunks spout off made into a policy

So that leaves only the Labour Party who have moved under Starmer back to the centre of uk politics I would much rather they were more to the left but the state of the nation as it is Labour just needs to get into government with a majority so that they can try and fix this mess and that’s why Labour has moved closer to the centre while the Conservatives have fragmented, Remain are just mad and the Lib/Dems funny

So vote Labour it’s the only sensible option available

 

[WATFORD zero]

I typed my postcode into that site earlier today.
Current Tory MP had 60% share of the vote for Sussex weald in 2019 and I was considering voting LD tactically, despite being a member of the Labour party.
That site however, suggest that Labour and Tory are neck and neck with a projected 30% each with LDs and others trailing significantly.
I wish I could be certain.....

I don't know, but I would think that the closer we get to polling day and the more hits these sites get, the more the results would 'firm up' ... possibly