Pressure grows for a progressive hung parliament

Britain’s biggest centre-left pressure group has backed the principle of tactical voting. The move was supported by nearly three-quarters of members as a number of other progressive groups push for a hung parliament.

Compass is calling on every progressive voter to back the Labour candidate wherever they can win. But their press release goes on to say, “if the Labour candidate stands no chance against the Tory candidate it makes sense that the best placed progressive candidate is backed by every progressive voter.”

Writing for The Guardian, Compass Chair Neal Lawson, says:

“With Labour and Liberal Democrats trailing the Tories, a hung parliament is now probably the best result progressives can expect. However much the parties have converged on the same space, and however much people have been disappointed by Labour in government, enough clear differences still exist between progressives and the Tories to make this worthwhile.”

The group have produced a list of battleground seats to help voters make their choice. A “TORYMERGENCY!” website has also been set up allowing voters to enter their postcode to find out the best option for keeping out the Tories. Meanwhile, civil society pressure group 38 degrees have put together a tabloid headline generator mocking right-wing scare stories about a hung parliament. A “Flashmob” is due to take place at 1pm on Tuesday, May 4th in Parliament Square on behalf of the “Hung Parliament party”, which says “Yes to Hope and No to Tabloid Fear”. Organisers are asking participants to bring a rolled up copy of their least favourite tabloid rag for the “biggest rolled up paper sword fight ever”.

The Guardian’s editorial, while “enthusiastically” endorsing the Liberal Democrats also makes plain that, “under our discredited electoral system some people may – hopefully for the last time – be forced to vote tactically”. As Jonathan Freedland explained in the same newspaper on Wednesday:

“[There is] only one mechanism able to bring the change most progressives agree we need: a coalition of Labour and Lib Dems. Lib Dems can’t do it alone and the Tories won’t help them. But Labour (maybe late, maybe reluctantly) in concert with the Lib Dems would do what needs to be done.

“Ensuring that outcome is not as simple as a blanket vote for the Lib Dems across the country. If that happened, Labour could end up losing too many seats – not to the Lib Dems but to the Tories. The result would be a smiling Cameron outside No 10 on 7 May.”