I live in a highly marginal seat, have always voted Lib Dem and prefer their policies, detest the tories and loath Gordon Brown. Should I vote Labour just to keep the Tories out, or vote Lib Dem?

[ELCSadvice]

What would you do?

[policywonk]

What was the vote share at the last election?

If getting proper PR is one of your priorities, you could try this site: vote for a change

[ELCSadvice]

Labour 40.8

COns 37.8

LD 15.2

The boundaries have changed slightly since the last election though, not sure what effect that has had.

[UnquietDad]

Do you like the local Labour candidate? Presumably he/she is the incumbent MP from those figures. Has he/she done anything you liked or which helped you, regardless of the leadership?

I think those considerations will count for a lot at this election.

[policywonk]

Have a look at the site I linked to - even if you don't actually want a hung parliament, it will give you an assessment of whether a LibDem vote has any chance of translating into a LibDem MP.

[ELCSadvice]

Hmm, interesting UQD - I threw her campaign letter in the bin

Will google her and find out - everything that I ever think has been done well round here (e.g. ploughing resources into children's facilities) always turns out to have been done with lottery money.

[Heathcliffscathy]

vote for the candidate you want.

to my mind this may be the first election in our lifetime that many people do this and it may get us PR if not libdemocracy.

[thursdaynamechange]

Yes, I would on those figures - I'm a lib-dem voter too and can safely vote lib-dem as the tory majority is so large.

[ChutesTooNarrow]

I have this dilemma and I think I will have to vote Labour. I am really agonising over it especially as was door stepped by the Labour MP last week and he voted for lots of things I was anti and he couldn't really explain to me why he had.

Was staring at all the leaflets we have had through the door last night until it got to the point where I thought 'bugger it, I might as well vote for the Green guy as he has fabulous hair.'

Ultimately my thinking is I should use my vote to ensure the Tories don't benefit from it, even to the detriment of the Lib Dems.

[UnquietDad]

Try

Who Gets my Vote?

as well - just to see who you really agree with...!

[ELCSadvice]

Thanks all.

Thanks policy, will look now.

I am not anti PR although have spent a lot of time listening to DH tell me that a hung parliament will never work.

[WebDude]

Given your preferences, I'd suggest you vote Lib Dem, even if they don't get in. The votes will still count after the day, and no vote for them is "wasted" as it will reinforce the demand for Proportional Representation, whereas a vote for any other party counts against the party you want.

[ELCSadvice]

PW that website says vote labour if I want a hung parliament.

Can I bring myself to vote labour????

LIb Dem does look like a bit of a wasted vote going on the figures from last time...

[Heathcliffscathy]

chutes...don't give in to fear!

they didn't in america when they voted obama in!

the libdems have surged by 15 points...give them a real shot...

[ELCSadvice]

x post webdude - that was my original feeling on the wasted vote thing.

[ELCSadvice]

I also wanted to vote Lib Dem to piss of Gina Ford.



That's not a very good reason is it?

[ChutesTooNarrow]

I know I shouldn't give in to fear Sophable. I just remember growing up in a single parent family in the 80s and it was awful. I don't want any family to grow up being vilified and unsupported for circumstances out of their control

My mind changes every tens minutes though, don't think I will know how to vote until I am at the polling station.

[ChutesTooNarrow]

Brilliant, anything that pisses off Gina Ford is a winner in my book. I hadn't even thought of that

[Heathcliffscathy]

AND to piss off rupert murdoch...see here and surely that should swing it for you!

[ELCSadvice]

Gah! UQD, that website gave me labour!!