Voting

[shewhomust]

I've climaxed early on this one: 36 hours before the polls open, I've already cast my postal vote (let's not go into that one). It's a curious sensation.

Three things:

1. My postal vote arrived in an envelope which had very obviously been slit open and re-sealed with sellotape. I phoned the helpline number and explained to the official at the other end (which took some doing: "So, is this envelope A or envelope B?" - "No, it's the envelope A and B arrived in..."). We checked that I had all the bits of paper I should have, and that there no votes had actually been marked on my ballot papers. Since that was in order, the advice was "Oh, well, don't worry about it." And I'm not, really; like the official, I can't see how my vote could be compromised. But it's odd, and now it's on the record, here.



2. In the discussion about trilemmas, I threatened to come back to the three party question. I still have difficulty saying this out loud, but I have, and not for the first time, voted Liberal Democrat, for the inexplicable reason that they have more policies I agree with than any other party offering a candidate in my constituency. (Yes, love me, I'm a liberal.) This is easier for me than for someone living in a constituency the Tories might actually win.
   
   But I want to make the case for voting for the party you agree with, rather than against the party you disagree with, and it's this: we are not just electing a government, we are also electing an opposition. Tony Blair believes that the opposition comes from his right, and must be wooed and placated; the left, he thinks, will vote for him whatever he does. If we can't replace him with a more left-wing government (and, don't tell the centrist Tories who might vote Liberal, but that's what the Lib Dems are), let's at least tell him that the opposition comes from the left, let's wrench the terrain of the debate over to the left.
   
   I do still think Michael Howard is worse than Tony Blair. But the crunch question is not which is worse in himself, but: is Michael Howard with a leftish opposition still worse than Tony Blair with a decidedly right-wing opposition? I hope not to find out the answer to that one.



3. I've been told often enough that all this voting for the party you agree with is hopelessly idealistic, and that you have to be realistic and compromise and get your hands dirty. Well, damnit, I'm voting, aren't I? How realistic and compromised do you want me to be?

Comments

How to vote...

[(Anonymous)]

I've been told often enough that all this voting for the party you agree with is hopelessly idealistic, and that you have to be realistic and compromise and get your hands dirty

I have this same problem. I've got a few hours yet before getting home and going to vote, but I'm still trying to decide between Labour and Lib Dem. The Labour ads - sorry, Party Political Broadcasts - for the last few days have been saying 'If you vote Lib Dem you're going to let the Tories in' and that's what is worrying me. However, that being said, I seriously resent that amount of manipulation (yes I know, that's really idealistic, expecting politicians not to be manipulative... but anyway...) and also, Nick Brown, the Labour MP for Newcastle East where I live has such a huge majority and the Tories are so hopelessly third, that it doesn't really matter who I vote for, it's not going to make much difference in the end. That should make it easier, really. But it doesn't.

Stephen. (Who really should get an LJ account...)