Tuesday, April 26, 2005

X Marks the Spot

It was with some degree of excitement that I discovered my polling card had finally been delivered yesterday. I'd spent the last few week feverishly worrying that I wasn't actually on the electoral roll and that the lack of my one vote would mean that the BNP would win in every constituency in the country.

Now I that I know I'll definitely get to vote, I can actually start thinking about who I'm going to vote for. I have this dilemma every time: is it better to vote for the party who best meets your beliefs, or to vote tactically? It's all very well saying that if everyone who wanted to vote Lib Dem actually did, then they'd win by a landslide, but in reality they we all know it won't happen. Could I really live with myself if I voted for some weirdy hippy lefty party and the fact that I wasn't voting Labour meant the Conservatives got in? And, equally, could I live with myself if I voted Labour?

Voting is a strange old beast because, in reality, my one solitary vote counts very little. It's hardly likely that a party would win by one vote. I suppose it's more about having a sense of pride that you're taking part in a political process. I like the fact that politicians are essentially answerable to me and that no-one's safe.

Voting has always been important in my family. I can remember an election when I was little (1983?); I went with my Grandma to vote in Hackney and she let me put an X in the box even though I was about fifteen years short of voting age(you are SO not meant to do that...). I was slightly too young to vote in the 1997 election, but was the Labour candidate for the mock general election we held at school. I remember waking up finding out that Labour had won, and feeling as if the whole world would be different when I opened the curtains (I was born in 1979, so I'd only ever known Tory rule).

At university, a friend who's a lifelong Conservative and I made election cakes with red, blue and yellow icing (because that's only fair). We remained remarkably amicable while watching the results come in, although to be fair we probably had more fun when watching the Pop Idol final (for which we made a large pink cake with 'WILL' written in Smarties; cake making was a large part of my student life).

So, I'll be trotting down to our local polling station next Thursday with a smile on my lips and a song in my heart (and almost certainly an election cake in the oven).

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think whether or not you should vote tactically or honestly depends on where you live. Since I live in a Tory stronghold with a several thousand majority, there is almost certainly nothing I can do to change the situation. Thus, I may as well vote as my conscious dictates, ie Lib Dem. If however, Labour had a serious chance of getting in, I would probably vote for them cos they have to be better than the Tories.

Incidentally, can I show off and tell everyone that I was leafleted (if that is a genuine verb) by none other than Iain Duncan Smith this morning! Since my Dad bizarrely greeted him as an old friend (they are not old friends as far as I know, but maybe there is something Daddy is not telling me!) I didn't immediately realise who he was, and I actually smiled as I took his leaflet. Oops.

meg said...

If there was ever a reason to move out of Woodford, that's got to be the biggest.

Run, Lindsey, run for your life!

Katrina said...

I hope Lindsey that wherever you live you vote as your 'conscious' dictates, I'd hate to think of you voting as your subconscious dictates or as your unconscious fails to dictate for that matter.

I bought the Labour and Conservative manifestos at uni the other day but they didn't have anything from the other parties - anyone know where else I can buy them from - rather have them in print than download them from the net.

I remember the mock election at school - great fun. I wanted to stand for Green but at that time no one had volunteered for any of the three major parties so Ms Mckay cajoled me into standing for Lib Dem. I remember entering one of my RS lessons wearing a yellow rosette only to be cast a look of disgust from Mr Becket who labelled me a Tory!!! Teachers eh -where's the justice!

I think Kate stood for Socialist Labour and Jenny Stripe won the election with her 'Very Nice People party' which gave out those 'Nice' biscuits!!! Seems like half our friendship group stood for election - can that realy be true? Who stood for Conservatives??

Finally I'd like to say how much I miss there not being a 'Monster Raving Loony Party' anymore!! Elections aren't as fun without Screaming Lord Sutch (is that how you spell his name).

I'm Over The Moon said...

i wanted to vote in my new constituency, but there wasn't enough time i was told to guarantee getting my card through. this annoyed me as we were a marginal. however, when i got to my old constituency to vote, i found that voting lib dem there meant voting against Frank Dobson. To quote him Go On! Make My Day! And we won in my new one anyway. Who says the system doesn't work!?