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Original poster

Is voting Lib Dem really a wasted vote this time round?

35 replies

Alambil · 19/04/2010 20:46

My dad is convinced it's a waste of a vote and if people vote Lib Dem that labour will stay - he says he's going to vote Conservative so that he doesn't "waste" his vote and labour leave - not that he wants Tories in their place...

Is that true?

From what I'm hearing about Clegg, it seems that IF those that say they like him vote for him, they have a chance of getting in?

Or is the gap just too big?

OP posts:
DrTrillianAstra · 19/04/2010 21:28

I second (third? fourth?) the idea that no vote is wasted. Even if your vote only makes the Lib Dems come second in your constituency, it willl give other people more courage to vote for them next time, rather than voting for 'whichever of Labour/Conservatives they dislike the least'.

Original poster
Alambil · 19/04/2010 21:25

thank you

OP posts:
vesela · 19/04/2010 21:24

look up your constituency here.

Original poster
Alambil · 19/04/2010 21:18

how do I find who's second? we're conservative atm

OP posts:
ChippyMinton · 19/04/2010 21:16

What pandasam said. Here the sitting tory has been disgraced in the expenses scandal and is standing down, Labour stand no chance. LibDems could get in, so it will be interesting to see how much effort they put in to getting the voters out.

wastwinsetandpearls · 19/04/2010 21:14

I think you should just vote for the party you agree with. As others have said it does depend on your constituency.

Lib Dems are second here, if there was a wasted vote here it would be Labour.

bronze · 19/04/2010 21:09

If everyone thought like him there would be no hope
I wish people would go with what they believe rather than tactical voting that helps noone really

vesela · 19/04/2010 21:08

5% more isn't a miracle, it's achievable...

vesela · 19/04/2010 21:07

According to the swingometers, the Lib Dems need to be polling about 37% to be the largest party in parliament (and about 41-42% to have a majority).

They're currently polling about 32-33% and it looks as if there are more votes to be taken from Labour as Labour start to fall beneath 25..., plus some from the Tories - another 5% for the Lib Dems is definitely doable.

They're already in second (or first) place in half the constituencies in the country, and as the campaign goes on, doorstep campaigning means that more and more people realise that the Lib Dems are in a good position in their constituency and so their poll share goes up (the LDs always put on several percent during a campaign in this way, regardless of how well the leader does in debates etc.!)

The Tories are well out of majority territory at this point.

I'm a Lib Dem who'd vote LD anyway because life's too short to vote for parties you don't like but that's how I see the situation.

PandaSam · 19/04/2010 20:53

It really depends on which constituency you are in, how big the majority of the current mp is, and which party is second.

As long as you vote then I do not believe the vote is wasted; those who don't even bother are wasting their vote.

Lib dems are extremely unlikely to form a government; it would take a miracle! So really it depends on how you feel about gordon brown staying in power!