Is there a reason ?

[MrGongGong]

"Social progress has always been achieved when people have come together in solidarity to demand change from the powerful, when people educate themselves and educate each other, and when they cause enough economic disruption to cause the powerful and wealthy to give in to some of their demands (one of the best ways to frighten the wealthy and powerful is by threatening to hit them in the pocket).

Trade unionism, mass protest, civil disobedience, boycotts, community organisation, activism, political education, charity, philanthropy, supporting progressive writers and activists ... these are all ways of positively influencing politics outside of the ballot box.

Refusing to vote for a demonstrably better political party than the current government (Labour, SNP, Plaid Cymru, Green ...), or for one that is marginally less bad in those constituencies unfortunate enough to have no other choice (Lib-Dem) is not."

https://anotherangryvoice.blogspot.com/

You don't live where I do.
Bagpuss would be a better PM than BJ (and have an army of Stockhausen inspired mice to do the heavy lifting)

[oddoneout]

as to the lies about Corbyn (of which there are many)
He really doesn't do himself any favours

https://www.reddit.com/r/ukpolitics/...ord_on_europe/

I don't happen to agree with his stance but it has the merit of consistency over decades, unlike my MP who was loudly leave until the very last minute, when he went for a complete volte face. Post referendum things went quiet and then the Leave views started to surface again together with a bit more tactical manoeuvring with his Westminster activities. He has duly been rewarded by the PM with a ministerial post; he has proved what I long suspected, namely he is a career Tory through and through. Political positioning, not principles.

[Richard Barrett]

You don't live where I do.

Where one lives has nothing to do with it. It seems almost too obvious to point out that people struggled against the prevailing powers for a long time to achieve something you say you aren't prepared to walk 20 metres to participate in. I have much respect for many of your opinions even if I don't agree with them, but that seems pretty lame to me.

[Dave2002]

I don't happen to agree with his stance but it has the merit of consistency over decades, unlike my MP who was loudly leave until the very last minute, when he went for a complete volte face. Post referendum things went quiet and then the Leave views started to surface again together with a bit more tactical manoeuvring with his Westminster activities. He has duly been rewarded by the PM with a ministerial post; he has proved what I long suspected, namely he is a career Tory through and through. Political positioning, not principles.

Whereas my MP - and I have met him several times - and he has expressed his "own" position - may have voted to remain, his constituency (including me) voted to remain, then he stood for reelection in 2017, and of course that wiped his memory clean, and according to a letter I received, the "mandate" from the 2017 election meant that he was justified in continuing to support his party's efforts. He has hardly ever voted against the government run by his own party.

[MrGongGong]

Where one lives has nothing to do with it. It seems almost too obvious to point out that people struggled against the prevailing powers for a long time to achieve something you say you aren't prepared to walk 20 metres to participate in. I have much respect for many of your opinions even if I don't agree with them, but that seems pretty lame to me.

Where one lives has EVERYTHING to do with it.
Registering a feeble protest by voting against again will make no difference whatsoever.

I get the argument about people struggling BUT one of the main problems, as I see it, is that people keep going along with the whole farce thinking that somehow they are doing something of value by registering a protest. How many of us marched against the Gulf war ? How many people protested the other day in London?

Better to do something useful than legitimise this nonsense

[Bryn]

[cloughie]

[teamsaint]

Where one lives has EVERYTHING to do with it.
Registering a feeble protest by voting against again will make no difference whatsoever.

I get the argument about people struggling BUT one of the main problems, as I see it, is that people keep going along with the whole farce thinking that somehow they are doing something of value by registering a protest. How many of us marched against the Gulf war ? How many people protested the other day in London?

Better to do something useful than legitimise this nonsense

It isn’t a choice though. We can do both, and hope that some good comes of it .

[jayne lee wilson]

Always try to use your vote. Hit the tactical voting websites like those linked by Gina Miller.....
I voted LibDem in the Euros and LD/Lab/Green outnumbered Brexit/Con in the result....
Approaching a GE, the opposition seems too weak and divided, but.....DON'T GIVE UP.

I've written to my own MP, Bill Esterson (LAB), several times.... he always voted against Brexit, against the government, against Johnson's appalling wrecking ball tactics....(the Johnson/Cummings admin is govt by (low, deceitful, rhetorically poisonous) tactics, not policy)....

Never stop fighting till the fight is done...

[Bryn]

Always try to use your vote. Hit the tactical voting websites like those linked by Gina Miller.....
I voted LibDem in the Euros and LD/Lab/Green outnumbered Brexit/Con in the result....
Approaching a GE, the opposition seems too weak and divided, but.....DON'T GIVE UP.

I've written to my own MP, Bill Esterson (LAB), several times.... he always voted against Brexit, against the government, agains Johnson's appalling wrecking ball tactics....(the Johnson/Cummings admin is govt by (low, rhetorically poisonous) tactics, not policy)

The local MP here jumped ship from the Tories to the Wigs and intends to stand not here but in a neighbouring constituency in the forthcoming General Election. I will consult tactical voting websites in the coming weeks, though not with any great expectation of getting other than another Tory MP.

[teamsaint]

Interesting article on tactical voting here.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/30/tactical-voting-could-deliver-remain-victory-in-election-study

I think we can safely assume that there will be more tactical voting than ever. Not quite aure how this will play out on the ground, such is the apparant antagonism at national level between the Lib Dems and Labour. Some of that of course is the Liberals playing to the remain leaning tory vote.

And of course there is the ever present danger of Swinson enabling another tory government in return for a referendum in a hung parliament.

[Dave2002]

And of course there is the ever present danger of Swinson enabling another tory government in return for a referendum in a hung parliament.

Ouch!

That went well, last time.

[teamsaint]

Ouch!

That went well, last time.

And there is the well founded suspicion that the Lib Dems primary focus is electoral gains, and is not stopping Brexit at any cost.

The experts seem to think that London will be very interesting, and the main area where the Remain vote could be split to the advantage of the tories.

Ironic indeed if tory gains in London ended up being the clincher in Brexit.

Edit. A quick look at Labour held targets seats for the tories seems to reveal rather a lot of seats where the 3rd and 4th party vote is already well and truly squeezed, EG Ipswich. bedford, Bishop Auckland , Derby North.

[oddoneout]

I've just been looking at the figures for past elections and come to the conclusion that tactical voting is a non-starter in my constituency. The con majority in 2017 was 16742; if all the other votes cast had gone to lab that would only have reduced the majority to 12552. There are not the numbers in the non-voting electorate to alter that unless 75% of them turn out and all vote lab. Of the 'active' electorate I can't see that the number voting con is likely to go down significantly if at all since many already made the switch to lab or lib in the 2017 fiasco.
So the choice is likely to be the 'just one small step away from non of the above' candidate - probably Green on the basis of past options at constituency level.

[Dave2002]

So the choice is likely to be the 'just one small step away from non of the above' candidate - probably Green on the basis of past options at constituency level.

If you’re in an area where your vote is unlikely to make a difference to the outcome - which I assume you don’t want - then maybe the best you can do is vote for one of the low polling minority candidates you can support in the hope at least of them getting their deposit back. So it might be possible to do just a very little good. Not great, but maybe a tad better than nothing.