Backing Blair - Update
You can't say we don't listen. Well, actually you can, but we have listened and made the following updates to the latest versions of the constituency pages. These have now been uploaded and address the following:
1. Boundary changes in Scotland
2. By-election results since 2001.
Furthermore, the advice offered has been updated. In some cases, where good arguments have been made by people in the constituency concerned, the Tactical Voting advice has been changed to reflect more realistic opportunities. So, for example, if Labour holds a seat with the Conservatives in second place, but the Liberal Democrats are close behind the Conservatives, then the Tactical Voting advice would reflect the situation that people from Labour are more likely to vote LibDem than Tory, and recommend the LibDems as the ideal recipient for your vote.
Additional information will be provided on a constituency-by-constituency basis as it becomes available. If you have information that you think would be appropriate to a specific constituency, then please send the details to the team AT backingblair DOT co DOT uk, including the constituency name and url in your message. After review, we will contact you to let you know whether all or just some of the information will be uploaded.
1. Boundary changes in Scotland
2. By-election results since 2001.
Furthermore, the advice offered has been updated. In some cases, where good arguments have been made by people in the constituency concerned, the Tactical Voting advice has been changed to reflect more realistic opportunities. So, for example, if Labour holds a seat with the Conservatives in second place, but the Liberal Democrats are close behind the Conservatives, then the Tactical Voting advice would reflect the situation that people from Labour are more likely to vote LibDem than Tory, and recommend the LibDems as the ideal recipient for your vote.
Additional information will be provided on a constituency-by-constituency basis as it becomes available. If you have information that you think would be appropriate to a specific constituency, then please send the details to the team AT backingblair DOT co DOT uk, including the constituency name and url in your message. After review, we will contact you to let you know whether all or just some of the information will be uploaded.
25 Comments:
Thanks for switching support to the SNP in Stirling. Much appreciated.
GENERAL NOTICE
Please ignore any posts by Jim Doyle.
He seems intent on sabotaging the campaign by pretending to back it.
(irony is such a fickle mistress)
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This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
That's really good work, checked out a few seats and they seem much more sensible now. Good one. But in a safe seat, safe beyond all reasonable predictions, a vote for anyone other than the sitting Lab candidate would be just as effective surely? In such a situation I won't want to vote Tory when I could go with any other candidate and still see a reduced margin.
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
There's also an update on the campaign to force Fasthosts to come clean on who was behind the DoS attack on this site over here:
Backing Blair Vs Fashosts.
Read how Labour is censoring the web on the Backing Blair website here:
Denial of service attack
We've left 4 empty shells left behind by 'Jim Doyle' mainly to show how he's overplaying his hand and making it quite obvious what he's up to. Future comments will be deleted without trace to keep comments tidy.
For the record, each post has been the exact same plug for his sit-in silliness. We're going to leave that 10:48 one in place for now. But you should know that we've deleted that same post well over a dozen times this morning.
In short; 'Jim Doyle' has made it clear that his intentions are not misguided, but malicious.
Frances; in a two-horse race between a Tory and a Labour candidate, voting Tory takes a vote away from Labour and increases the margin between the two by that same vote being credited to the Tory. Strategically, it's the stronger move.
But that's not to say that the matter's not up for discussion. Public feeling does have to be taken into account. It depends - a bit - on how much we can do to show people how their fears of the Tories are being used against them.
I have just discovered this campaign and I am right behind it.
I do need a bit of advice, I am scottish and unless you are of farming desent then its not in our nature to vote tory. I would feel phisically sick to vote tory..the thought of it makes me feel queasy...
But I will do it if I can be convinced that voting for my usual party Lib Dems in my new area would not have the same effect. I have just moved out of Blairs constituency...dam was looking forward to voting against him...any way my new one:
Durham North West..with cheif whipping burd: Hilary Armstrong
The results were:
Labour: 24,526 62.5%
Conservative: 8,193 20.9%
Liberal Democrat 5,846 14.9%
Socialist Labour Party 661 1.7%
As you can see my area is a labour VERY strong seat. Her dad was the MP before her...
Now the traditional labour voters would probably rather not vote than vote tory the second placed party.
But if you can convince me otherwise I will vote to...no can't bring myself to say it just yet...
I know how you feel - I don't think I could ever physically bring myself to putting my mark by a Tory Party candidate.
Unfortunately, after Blair's betrayal of the party members and their values, Labour is now in the same situation as Thatcher left the Tories in.
LUCKILY, my Oxfordshire electorate has an unbeatable Lib-Dem already sitting, otherwise I'd probably cry...
Good to be in such pleasant company!
We just launched http://www.Vote4Peace.org.uk...
And the Guardian misrepresented us almost immediately!
Avanti -
P
Also: Backing Blair: not just Iraq, fighting Unions too
Well, Jim, if you want to pick a fight with the Unions, feel free.
Just makes it obvious that you're a total dickhead...
Ah yes, but 'Jim Doyle' is hoping that the fight(s) he picks will have to be fought by us.
I now have a trackback from Jim Doyle on a Skakagrall entry about Backing Blair. I am not sure I understand what is happening here. A celebrity groupie of some kind? Or is he trying to muddy the waters and discredit BB? Has anyone tried to contact him?
Simon: We've been in direct contact with him and suspect the latter. But he has yet to drop the facade.
Just thought I'd say hello, from the traditional anti-Tory tactical voting site tacticalvoter.net You're obviously all sincere in what you believe and act on, but if you didn't exist the Tories would have to invent you, as it's a rare bonus for them.
I just don't buy the idea that a Labour government with a thin majority is going to dicover its radical edge. I would expect it to be much more paranoid in pandering to Middle England. For a hung parliament to work, the Lib Dems need to have twice as many MPs as they do now, which won't happen until 2009.
I like the idea of this site, apart from the idea of voting for Tories. Like you said in your FAQ,
"How far does Blair have to swing to the right before you realise we're already living with a Tory government?"
How would voting for a real Tory government (one which is undoubtedly more right-wing even by New Labour's standards) make anything better? Like other people have said before, it's likely that reducing Labour's majority and increasing Tory seats will actually make labour more right-wing, not less.
I far prefer the strategy of sonowwhodowevotefor.net - that is, voting for progressive MPs, rather than just against Labour full stop.
Furthermore, I would encourage the owners of this site to watch the flash movie at http://www.bloggerheads.com/labour/
Regards
Mark
Mark, thanks for the feedback. A couple of points worth noting are that a) the people behind this site were the saem people behind Labour - I See Red and b) if you you check some constituencies (e.g. Stirling, Hackney North) you will see that we don't advocate supporting the Tories regardless. The message were trying to get across is that in some cases voting Tory may be the only option, but this won't always be the case. After all if, in a Labour held seat the LibDems ran the Conservatives a close third, then we'd advocate voting LibDem simply because a disillusioned Labour voter is more likely to vote LibDem than Tory. So contrary to the overall perception, we're not saying you must vote Tory to stop Blair, just that in some cases there may be no realistic alternative.
Yes, please do watch that Flash movie.
:o)
Thanks for your reply.
With regards to point a) - that's what I thought. That's why I thought it was strange that you should advocate voting Tory over real left-wing Labour MPs. (though it's a great movie...)
How could you, personally, vote for people of the same breed as Ancram, Howard, Yeo, Davis, Fox, Redwood... over real Labour MPs (admittedly, there aren't many of them now)?
And certainly given the effect on this country of the last Tory government and the current party's voting records on most issues. As I said before, I prefer other websites' methods of voting for progressive MPs than simply against Blair.
In my constituency, Solihull, for example, I am recommended by your site to vote Tory (they had about twice as many votes as the next party in 2001). But if Labour voters all voted Lib Dem then the Lib Dems would take this seat.
Were it not for this issue I would be behind you 100% (and would probably be sending in a donation too).
Regards,
Mark
We are trying to back nice people wherever possible - but in places where it makes strategic sense to back a Tory, we plan to use them like the whores they are.
:o)
If you feel your local constituency advice should be changed, then it's simply a matter of getting in touch and making your case.
Good enough?
OK. That seems fair enough. I'd appreciate it if you'd change my constituency (Solihull) advice to vote for Lib Dems.
One final thing, though (promise): will you advise people to vote for traditional, progressive Labour MPs where they have a proven track record of being so?
Thanks
Hi Mark, advice will be updated today. As for progressive Labour MPs, we're already doing so, along with supporting anti-Blairite Labour candidates.
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