Is the Social Democratic Party the new home for the politically homeless?

[DexaVooveQhodu]

I am not a party activist, I'm just exploring my options. Was surprised to see one of the candidates in my constituency is from the SDP - I didn't know they still existed.

Researching I have found that: the original SDP disbanded in the 1980s when they merged with the Liberals to form the LibDems, but a few people didn't want the merger and re-formed the SDP a couple of years later.

The party seems to be growing. It was tiny for a couple of decades fielding only 2 candidates. 2 elections ago it was 6. Last election it was 20. This time it's up to 122. Still only about a fifth of constituencies.

Their policies are broadly left wing on economic principles and support for the poor and disadvantaged, with sensible non-koolaid stances on the issues that have driven a lot of us away from Labour, LibDems and Greens who might otherwise have got our votes.

I'm not 100% aligned with their policies, they are unfortunately a bit more pro-brexit than I would have liked and there's policies like e.g about prioritising married couples for social housing and limiting immigration that I disagree with.

They are clearly a small party that aren't going to win a much if anything but I am considering voting for them. My constituency is a very safe labour seat so I don't expect to make a difference but it seems potentially worthwhile to give the SDP some encouragement and see if they grow some more.

You might as well vote for a parrot. They aren't going to win a seat so of course their policies are appealing - they're never going to be in power to implement them.

Of course they aren't going to win a seat this election. That doesn't mean a vote is wasted. There's lots of people on mumsnet who describe themselves as politically homeless because none of the main parties have policies they can get behind.

In every seat, after this election, whoever comes second will be looking at the results carefully to see what is attracting people to vote for whoever came 3rd/4th/5th and how to win over those votes next time in order to close the gap and hopefully get in next time. Equally anyone who wins but only by a narrow margin will do the same to consider how to increase their majority next time. The different is barely a drop in the ocean but it exists.

The politically homeless can sometimes do more to influence future trends by voting for a minority party to send a message about the direction to pull in rather than voting for a least-worst option out of a couple of equally unpalatable main parties.

The fact remains that it is easy for smaller parties to have appealing policies knowing that they will never have to act on them. In a sense they are even less trustworthy than the larger parties.

I disagree.

firstly, smaller parties occasionally hold the balance of power in a hung parliament If they ever get big enough to have an mp or two.

Secondly it's obvious that growth is never instantaneous. Every party starts off small with no chance of winning.

But the most important role is influencing the directions of growth of the biggest parties. In a scenario where in a particular constituency Labour gets eg 11,000 votes and Conservative get 10,000 votes and Reform UK got 1,000 votes and all the "politically homeless" mumsnetters stayed at home and didn't vote, the Labour MP and Conservative runner up both take onboard a message to be more right wing next time. If the politically homeless instead vote for a minority party whose policies work for them, both the Labour and Conservative candidates get the message that there's votes available to be won if they listen to thise voices. This is a strategy that frothing-at-the-mouth hardline rightwingers have been using very effectively and both Labour and Tories are getting dragged to the right to woo those votes. It's possible to drag in the other direction.

Err, no. They're absolutely batshit. There's no continuity with the former party of that name. I don't know how they can be labelled "broadly left wing" other than they're a couple of paces to the left of Reform. They're anti-woke, anti-EU, anti-immigration, they even entered into a general election pact with Reform.

What policies do they have that are more attractive than LibDems or Greens to someone that's uncomfortable with Con, Lab or Ref?

Agree it's far easier to have appealing policies as a smaller party.

There tends to be less scrutiny of what is feasible and you're not going to be held to doing them because you'll not have the power to.

A vocal small party can illustrate there are votes to be had at a certain point of the political spectrum (the right-wing drag OP explained) but it's up to voters if this is enough for them to use their vote for it.

The reciprical agreement with Reform is distasteful to me, personally, so I wouldn't consider them for this reason. And because not voting can also illustrate there are not votes to be had at a certain point of the political spectrum... the message can be used both ways

Unfortunately I can't vote for them as not standing in my constituency. They would probably be preferable to reform or the workers party. I don't even have an independent I can vote for. Guess I'm still politically homeless.

I am voting SDP.

They are like dinosaur eggs; a curio of another age, but fundamentally unsuitable for today

I might vote for them.

I'm surprised there's any support on MN for a party with a policy of reducing the social housing priority of single mothers.

Are you?

Anti single mothers and anti trans women? Sounds perfect for MN.

@DexaVooveQhodu Ah yes, all those hung parliaments we hardly ever get. Seriously, don't clutch those straws quite so hard - you'll injure your hands. If you want to vote for the SDP loons go ahead, but please stop pretending they are anything other than loons.

Yes, that's exactly how I feel.

Re voting for small parties in general, I mean. I'm unfamiliar with the SDP so couldn't comment on them per se.

I would vote for the Libdems or Greens if I thought that gave me the best chance of getting rid of our shit Tory MP, but in my constituency, Labour is the best bet for that.

However, I take all of the policies set out by the smaller parties as statements of what they would like to do, rather than things that they actually have any intention of doing. They know they won't be in government so don't really have to worry about implementation - they can promise the earth and never be held accountable.

Even if they end up holding the balance of power within a hung parliament, you have no means of knowing which of their policies they would quickly abandon and which they would try to push through...remember the Libdems and tuition fees?

A problem with our system is that the first past the post system means that we vote negatively - anything to get the Tory's out , not positively for someone

I'm considering voting for them too, after a conversation with our local candidate on my doorstep over the weekend who seemed like a sensible chap. I don't agree with all of their policies but I do agree with their stance on women's sex based rights (the reason I will not be voting Labour, Lib Dem or Greens.)

I agree with OP. It doesn't matter that they won't win any seats, by voting I am still using my (tiny) voice to say something.