Compass endorses tactical voting, including Libdems


4:28 pm - April 30th 2010

by Sunny Hundal    


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Last week the left-wing campaign group Compass asked its members whether Compass should advocate tactical voting in the forthcoming general election.

For various reasons outlined here, I endorsed this decision.

Today the pressure group reveals that they have a “clear result”.

72% (467) of members backed the call for tactical voting with only 14% (93) against.

There were 14% (90) abstentions/spoilt papers.

Compass say it was the biggest return they have ever had on an internal ballot.

This means that Compass is now calling on every progressive voter to back the Labour candidate wherever Labour can win.

But if Labour stands no chance against the Tory candidate it makes sense that the best placed progressive candidate is backed by every progressive voter.

To help informs decisions the organisation has produced a key marginal seats information table, based on the 2005 general election results, to help choose the best placed progressive candidate is.
Click here to download it.

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About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments


1. Peter Cook

Sunny,

You might enjoy this good news from radio 5 live

http://www.youtube.com/user/ROCKTHEPOLL#p/u/0/HwfVryKwNzw

Compass has 950 members in total? They’ve got bloody good PR for a tiny group.

Regardless, sensible choice to make, really do think Labour’s lost it already, the more LDs there are the less chance Cameron has of getting everything he wants.

No, the turnout for the vote was 17% I believe

4. Nick Cohen is a Tory

Matt GB
I have been very impressed by the lib dems and articles by John Kampher and Richard Reeves. I really hope that there is a coalition of some sorts.
I was wrong about Gordon and Sunny and Johann Hari were correct. I would have loved to have seen a working class Labourite like Johntson / Cruddas ticket. Clegg has been by far the best candidate.
But I will be voting Labour for a number of reasons.
1. It is tribal, the Tories seem to use this as an insult, yet conservative voters are as tribal as Labour. Their percentage of core vote never changes and you can’t see Buckingham going Labour. I am tribally linked to Labour and their values.
2. I believe that Labour has achieved in areas like surestart and the maximum wage,
3. I don’t think your going to make a difference
4. Negative reasons. I want to cancel Nick Cohen’s tory vote

5. Christine Headley

Nick Cohen etc’s second point. Love the Freudian slip. I sometimes think that a maximum wage would be an excellent idea, but I fear it’s time has not yet come.

6. Christine Headley

Re my previous – I can’t believe that apostrophe.

7. Nick Cohen is a Tory

I do apologize. although a maximum wage wouldn’t be a bad idea
£100,000 say.

8. LetThemEatCake

There may be Tory seats vulnerable to a lib-dem surge that were not considered vulnerable before, it would be worth having some information to identify these as I’m sure some labour voters would be motivated to vote tactically. Any Tory seat lost means a better chance of the social chapter/ hunting ban etc. surviving. Does anyone have this information?

9. Gareth Hughes

Living in a constituency where Labour stands little chance of winning, being a member of the party also means supporting the CLP and our candidate. Putting a Vote Labour poster in my window just down the road from Vince Cable’s house may seem pointless, but it is giving the message that the party is here, we’re active and we’re not in an electoral pact so we’re not giving way. The real problem is our rubbish electoral system that might make a vote for Labour help a Tory candidate win. However, a vote for Labour where we cannot win is a vote that says that we don’t give up and that ideals are at the heart of what we’re about. Tactical voting is about playing the game, and perhaps we should play only if absolutely necessary.

Come on guys, if the game’s there to be played, lets play it! labour is in my blood and i hav never in my adult life. for some of us, if we dnt vote tactically, our vote would be useless.


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Liberal Conspiracy

    Compass members endorse tactical voting; opens way for Libdem support: http://bit.ly/9xAy7s

  2. Jon Harvey

    RT @sunny_hundal: RT @libcon: Compass members endorse tactical voting; opens way for Libdem support: http://bit.ly/9xAy7s

  3. aidanskinner

    RT @sunny_hundal: RT @libcon: Compass members endorse tactical voting; opens way for Libdem support: http://bit.ly/9xAy7s

  4. jamiedouglas

    RT @sunny_hundal: RT @libcon: Compass members endorse tactical voting; opens way for Libdem support: http://bit.ly/9xAy7s

  5. sunny hundal

    RT @libcon: Compass members endorse tactical voting; opens way for Libdem support: http://bit.ly/9xAy7s

  6. Tactical voting set for a boost?

    […] 72% (467) of members backed the call for tactical voting with only 14% (93) against. (Liberal Conspiracy) […]

  7. Tactical voting set for a boost? | Mark Pack

    […] result”.72% (467) of members backed the call for tactical voting with only 14% (93) against. (Liberal Conspiracy)That’s all very good news when it comes to turning a healthy share of the national vote into […]

  8. Dave Lewis

    @CompassOffice should have finished with a "…where we can" http://t.co/VNzDW1ez





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