The Hypocrisy of Tactical Voting
Iain Dale 10:35 AM
Of course they are right. There is an anti Conservative majority. But they don't seem to grasp that there is an even bigger "anti Labour majority". Hypocrites. In none of the last three elections have the Conservatives ever tried to encourage their supporters to vote tactically to defeat Labour. At least one party sticks to its principles.
I love the fact that Paddy Ashdown has called Labour's call for tactical voting "patronising" on the Today Programme. The LibDems made exactly the same call in 1997, 2001 and 2005.
Naturally the media is all over the story, with the BBC almost salivating. The BBC should be very careful. It is fine to report the story, but it is not OK to promote the concept of tactical voting. The Today Programme devoted no fewer than four segments of its last hour to the issue.I Blame Sood
Iain Dale 10:26 AM
NORTH West Norfolk's Labour candidate has blasted Gordon Brown, calling him "the worst Prime Minister" Britain has ever had. Speaking from his Leicester home, Manish Sood (38), told the Lynn News: "Immigration has gone up which is creating friction within communities. The country is getting bigger and messier.
"The role of ministers has gone bureaucratic and the action of ministers has gone downhill – it is corrupt.
"The loss of social values is the basic problem and this is not what the Labour Party is about.
"I believe Gordon Brown has been the worst Prime Minister we have had in this country.
"It is a disgrace and he owes an apology to the people and the Queen."
In his pledge he has promised to "get back to basics" and "clean up the system" if chosen to represent the area. He added that immigration had caused "overcrowding" in Britain and the increase in people claiming benefits.
Mr Sood said: "We have to get back to basics where people can leave their money outside for the milkman without it being stolen."
The councillor – who wants Britain to return to how it was in the 1970s – has also promised to control religious education and institutions, regenerate farming and industry and give more powers to the police and teachers.
He also believes The Queen should have more respect and say in government decisions as well as bringing back the death penalty.
But Mr Sood did praise Mr Brown for lowering the interest rates for mortgage owners.
Leader of West Norfolk Council's Labour group, Councillor Andy Tyler,
said: "I disagree completely. I think Gordon Brown is the best, most experienced and most capable of all three main candidates."
From the start of the election campaign, Mr Sood declared the seat was "unwinnable" when speaking to the media.
But in the 1997 general election the Labour candidate, George Turner, beat the Conservative candidate, Henry Bellingham, with a 1,339 majority. In 2001 Mr Bellingham – who had been MP for the area before Dr Turner – was voted back in with a 3,485 majority.
With friends like these...
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Labour seem to have reached for tactical voting as the latest apparent solution to their plight. They argue that there is an "anti Conservative majority" in this country and that people should bote tactically to keep Tories out in Labour-Tory marginals. The cheeky buggers then try to avoid the question of what Labour voters should do in LibDem-Tory marginals.
It comes to something when a Labour candidate calls Gordon Brown the "worst Prime Minister Britain has ever had. But that's what's happened this morning. North West Norfolk Labour candidate Manish Sood has blasted the Labour leader and surely now faces suspension, even though he has spokenn the truth. What I don't understand is that if he really thinks this, why did he ever stand as a Labour candidate. This is the story from theLynn News.
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