Over on Comment is Free I’ve written this article:
Today’s polls confirm that the leaders’ debate on Thursday has become a game changer. Ever since 1983, much of the focus on the progressive end of politics has been on tactical voting to prevent the “left” vote from splitting. But as we move towards a genuinely multi-party system, that method loses its effectiveness whilst promoting cynicism. Increasingly it has lead to a Labour party which feels it can take the support of progressives for granted and can instead focus on attracting swing voters from the centre right. …
What we’ve seen over the past 48 hours is the possibility of a genuinely new approach. Instead of playing by the political establishment’s rules, we have a real chance now of doing something genuinely disruptive. Not only would more it lead to more Lib Dem MPs voting for a genuinely democratic political system, a high Lib Dem share of the vote will illustrate perfectly why one is so badly needed.
Read it all here.
Blogging will be light over the next few days as a dog took a chunk out of my finger today while out delivering leaflets and I have surgery tomorrow. If any Lib Dem supporters have any sympathy for me you can show it by donating and going out to campaign yourself.
Your injuries have got the party another 50 quid from me (I’m a grad student, I can’t give much more!) Get better.
The three party leaders are like
Some travelers on a lonesome road who walk in fear and dread
And having once turned round – walk om – and turn no more their heads
Because they know a frightful fiend** doth close behind them treads
**The deficit
You are basically right, but in the 100 or so Lab-Con marginals where the Lib Dems are nowhere, voting for someone else will make a hung parliament more likely but only make a tiny dent in the LD’s national vote share. In micromarginals like Finchley LD support should be voting Tory to remove Brown’s majority. In ‘safer’ marginals like Tooting LDs should back Labour to block a Tory majority and open the door to PR.
Hugh,
All LD those votes in Lab-Con marginals will add up. They won’t make a blind bit of difference if they go towards Labour or the Conservatives except to shore up the status quo.
If the polls were different you might have a point, but you are singing from an outdated hymnsheet I’m afraid. It is time to stop playing the game by their rules.