We would first like to refer you to our FAQ, which begins as follows:

What exactly is it that you want from me?
We want you to register to vote. Then, when the election comes around, we want people who live in 'safe' Labour seats or marginal ones to vote for the candidate most likely to beat the Labour candidate. Not the anti-war-person, or the seems-like-a-nice-person, but the candidate most likely to beat the Labour candidate.

You'll note the Tories aren't mentioned in the core aim, but the negative charge most often levelled against this site is that we're all about getting people to vote Tory. In fact, there are a few people out there who are well and truly freaked out about that:

To paraphrase Marcellus Wallace; "That's fear f*cking with you. F*ck fear. Fear only hurts, it never helps."

We'll try to come up with a better quote later in the piece. In the meantime, we'd like to point out that there are a number of parallels between the Tories and terrorists, in that Blair has been using our fear of both to stay in power and get away with all kinds of things the public would never tolerate without the presence of a serious boogey-man. Or two.


Remember September 11th = Remember Margaret Thatcher

Dark times. Spectacularly dark times for many. But you can't let it blind you to the reality of the actual current threat, which in both cases is not as pronounced or as immediate as Blair would have you believe.


Blair: back me or the terrorists win = Blair: back me or the Tories win

Blair has used both arguments to convince the electorate and members of his own party to back and/or tolerate all sorts of things that actually work towards the aims of both. In the case of terrorists, Blair has the whole country running scared over phantom threats. Our logistical and political support for the US has actually sparked terrorist activity in Iraq (where previously there was none). The terrorists hardly need lift a finger. In the case of the Tories, Blair is adopting/hijacking all sorts of Tory policies in order to edge them out of the game. The Tories also hardly need lift a finger.


You're supporting the terrorists! = You're supporting the Tories!

This ends all sorts of debates. Just trying to get folks to consider the motivation(s) of terrorists brings you dangerously close to the use of empathy (*gasp*). For some people, empathy and sympathy are the same thing, especially when fear and outrage are involved. This is where the parallels are not exact, but the linear pattern in very similar. In the case of the Tories, we have asked people who live in 'safe' Labour seats or marginal ones to vote for the candidate most likely to beat the Labour candidate. For some people this involves voting Lib-Dem, SNP, Plaid Cymru, etc.- but for others this involves voting Tory. Fear and outrage turns the focus on this one single aspect and turns our strategic (and quite reluctant) use of some Tory candidates into outright support for the Tory party.


But what if terrorists attack? = But what if the Tories win?

And what are you willing to give up to stop this happening? Do you want to be unable to get permission to fart without an ID card? Are you willing to risk detention without trial? Lord Hoffmann said it best; "The real threat to the life of the nation... comes not from terrorism but from laws such as these."


Refuse to stand up to Blair and we sleepwalk into a police state. Refuse to stand up to Blair and we continue with a de-facto Tory government.

And in both cases many cannot see the threat Blair poses because of the overwhelming fear of terrorism and/or a return to Tory rule.

We repeat: we will not be cowed and we will not be diverted.

The policy stands.

In 'safe' Labour seats and marginal seats we want you to vote for the candidate most likely to beat the Labour candidate. Sometimes this will involve voting Tory.

Some of our supporters may only support us partially in that they will never ("Never! Do you hear me? Never!") vote Tory, and may instead opt for another party - perhaps even Respect or the Greens. Fair enough. Your call.

But we want all Labour MPs to know that there are many people who would fully support them were it not for Blair... and that we're so unhappy about Blair's leadership that we would not only consider voting Tory as a protest vote, but also voice this intention publicly.

1. Well, here we are, Tony. We're this angry. We'd like to ask you to pull your head in, but we've seen what you're capable of, and we have no intention of trusting you again. You can soften your position on detention without trial or downplay the possibility of a pre-emptive strike against Iran, but we know that the moment your survive the election you'll be back at it again.

2. Well, here we are, Labour MPs. We're this angry. Get rid of Blair and get Labour back on track. Don't make us do anything you might personally live to regret.

3. Perhaps we'd best make it clear that many of us directly involved with the campaign think that the Tories are complete and utter bastards. Except for Boris Johnson. Boris rules.

Backing Blair is not about voting for the Conservatives, but voting against Tony Blair. In the most effective way possible. In many cases this will mean voting for the second place candidate who may well be a Tory. Now that's a tough call, but it's something you're going to have to get over, and something those of us behind Backing Blair have already had to face.

Because as long as Tony Blair is leader, voting for Labour is effectively voting for a Tory government anyway.

Who made the bigger commitment to private investment in public services? That's right, under Tony Blair, Labour has given more support to PFI than the preceding Conservative government, support to a policy that mortgages the future of improved public services in order to give "apparent" short term benefits.

Who committed British military forces to 9 war zones in 8 years? Right again, Tony Blair.

Who is attempting to pass laws suspending habeas corpus and seriously eroding civil liberties? Bingo, Tony Blair.

So come polling day, we want you to get out there and vote. Strategically. Without compromise. Vote for the person most likely to take the seat from Labour.

In many constituencies their lead is so large that the chances of unseating Labour is virtually zero. But still vote against. Our protest needs to be visible, ruthless, and visibly ruthless.

Now, onto that slightly better quote we were promising you...

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, March 4 1933

We would do well to remember this quote in today's context. Because Tony Blair wants you to be afraid, to live in fear of terrorists and Tories.

Yesterday, Blair likened his relationship with the electorate to a troubled marriage. He's asking for one more chance.

We couldn't think of a more appropriate comparison. In fact, we would ask you to stare in the mirror and consider your fresh and faded bruises. Are you really so reliant on Blair that you're afraid to walk out the door? Are you really so blind to his abuse of your trust that you're willing to believe he can change?