Third Party Blues

[poliphilo]

My political memory goes back a long way now- and I don't remember a time when people weren't speculating about whether a third party might not come through and upset the two-party applecart. Surveys would be conducted that showed the electorate liked the third party's policies and personnel and that lots of us would vote for the third party if only.... if only everyone else would too.That's always been the problem- a problem of belief. If we followed our hearts the third party- Liberals, SDP, Lib Dems- would win by a landslide, but commonsense tells us such a thing is impossible, so we glumly make it so by opting for one of the other two parties instead.

I'm a lefty and the Lib Dems are lefties too- not as lefty as I am, but far to the left of the Tories and New Labour. So I should vote for them, right?  Yes I should. And Clegg's victory in last night's debate started me dreaming the impossible dream again. No, they're not going to form the government- that really is la-la-land- but they could wind up in a coalition with Labour. Clegg as Home Secretary perhaps? Vince Cable as chancellor?

I'm wavering .

Comments

[loxian.livejournal.com]

Do not waver. Always vote Labour. That's my advice. But I suppose you could vote for whichever party in your constituency is most likely to defeat the Tory.

[burkesworks.livejournal.com]

Do not waver. Always vote Labour. That's my advice

That would have been my advice until 1997. Now, with about thirty or so very honourable exceptions (Corbyn, Mitchell, McDonnell et al), the current Parliamentary Labour Party are no better than the Conservatives, and in many ways they're worse on civil liberties. The Lib Dems are much truer to the beliefs I've held more or less all my life, and that's why I wound up joining them. I could never vote for the party of ID cards and illegal wars and extraordinary rendition and tuition fees.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

In my constituency the Tory doesn't stand a chance. It's a close fight between Labour and the Lib Dems.

I would vote Labour with little hesitation if it were still the party of the left, but it isn't.

And it's not entirely irrelevant to my choice that the sitting Labour MP is the ghastly Phil Woolas. It would give me some pleasure to see him lose his seat.