lyonhibs
05-05-2010, 05:01 PM
I have the good fortune of living in a constituency where a vote for the party I mistrust the least is also a vote that will make a difference in the 2 horse race in my consitituency.
Unless there are massive - I mean massive - seismic shifts in voting preferences tomorrow, most of us will find ourselves in a constituency (that word is a nightmare to spell btw) where there are 2, maximum 3, parties in with a realistic chance of winning the seat.
I know - idealogically speaking - tactical voting is a sham, because ideally one shoud always stick to, and follow, your beliefs/principles at election time, and if that's how you see it, then far be it from me to "impose" the idea of voting tactically upon you.
However, if you're willing to be a bit more rational - if your situation demands it - and put your head before your heart,whether because your geographic location makes following your heart a bit of a non-starter, or because you only know who you DON'T want to get in, and the other options are merely lesser evils, the following link might be useful to those of you down south to see if you are in a marginal seat, and between whom it is marginal.
http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2010/05/01/constituencymarginality.pdf
On the right hand side of the following link, you can do more or less the same thing, but with the possibility of seeing SNP targets/seats under threat etc
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8662442.stm
Just some food for thought - regardless of who you want out/to be in charge on Friday.
Oh, and if you've got a spare few hours, here is a link to each party's manifesto:
Tory: http://media.conservatives.s3.amazonaws.com/manifesto/cpmanifesto2010_lowres.pdf
Labour: http://www2.labour.org.uk/uploads/TheLabourPartyManifesto-2010.pdf
Lib Dems: http://network.libdems.org.uk/manifesto2010/libdem_manifesto_2010.pdf
Have to say, I'm pretty impressed by the Lib Dems back part, where the sources of savings etc are actually laid out in hard data.
Of course, the figures could end up being pie in the sky, or a bit out from reality, but at least they are putting their neck on the line and saying where they believe the savings will be coming from, and how much each "source" of saving will contribute.
That said, the cynic inside me says that it is very easy to take the risk of putting concrete figures/future projections in your manifesto if there is bugger all chance of you winning the thing outright!!
Unless there are massive - I mean massive - seismic shifts in voting preferences tomorrow, most of us will find ourselves in a constituency (that word is a nightmare to spell btw) where there are 2, maximum 3, parties in with a realistic chance of winning the seat.
I know - idealogically speaking - tactical voting is a sham, because ideally one shoud always stick to, and follow, your beliefs/principles at election time, and if that's how you see it, then far be it from me to "impose" the idea of voting tactically upon you.
However, if you're willing to be a bit more rational - if your situation demands it - and put your head before your heart,whether because your geographic location makes following your heart a bit of a non-starter, or because you only know who you DON'T want to get in, and the other options are merely lesser evils, the following link might be useful to those of you down south to see if you are in a marginal seat, and between whom it is marginal.
http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2010/05/01/constituencymarginality.pdf
On the right hand side of the following link, you can do more or less the same thing, but with the possibility of seeing SNP targets/seats under threat etc
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8662442.stm
Just some food for thought - regardless of who you want out/to be in charge on Friday.
Oh, and if you've got a spare few hours, here is a link to each party's manifesto:
Tory: http://media.conservatives.s3.amazonaws.com/manifesto/cpmanifesto2010_lowres.pdf
Labour: http://www2.labour.org.uk/uploads/TheLabourPartyManifesto-2010.pdf
Lib Dems: http://network.libdems.org.uk/manifesto2010/libdem_manifesto_2010.pdf
Have to say, I'm pretty impressed by the Lib Dems back part, where the sources of savings etc are actually laid out in hard data.
Of course, the figures could end up being pie in the sky, or a bit out from reality, but at least they are putting their neck on the line and saying where they believe the savings will be coming from, and how much each "source" of saving will contribute.
That said, the cynic inside me says that it is very easy to take the risk of putting concrete figures/future projections in your manifesto if there is bugger all chance of you winning the thing outright!!