Paul

The huge prize at this election is the Tories coming THIRD. And tactical voting can deliver it. If the Tories were to come third, it would change absolutely everything. Read on to find out why... (Long tweet. Please expand. Thanks.) If the Tories come second, they will form the official Opposition i.e. take over the role Labour has now. If they come third, they'll get nothing. There's no bronze medal prize. It will mean the difference between them biding their time until they can regroup, and being finished forever as a viable political force. Here are some of the benefits the Opposition get: - 6 questions at PMQs every week - Guaranteed regular coverage from the BBC and other media outlets subject to balance requirements - 17 Opposition Days when they get to set the agenda and hold votes - First right to reply to key speeches like the King's Speech and the Budget (and all the press coverage that brings) - Additional Short Money - The right to form a Shadow Cabinet (other parties can mirror government functions, but nobody really cares) as a government in waiting - The right to propose amendments, and a much greater chance of having those amendments selected - Chairs of several Select Committees - Privy Council membership for senior figures - Office of the Leader of the Opposition, with additional resources, funding and staff If the Tories aren't the second-place party, they don't get any of the above. As you can imagine, without all that good stuff to fall back on, the path to rebuilding would be a vertical cliff. With no platform and no clout, their funders will desert them in droves. That's why it's essential to vote tactically to get the Tories out, no matter what you feel about the current incarnation of Labour. (Personally I'm furious about their views on Brexit and other issues.) Tactical voting is not about Labour. That's so important, I'll say it again: tactical voting is not about Labour. They'll get a stonking majority with or without tactical voting. A few more MPs won't make any difference to their ability to do what they like. That may be good, that may be terrible - but it's reality. No, tactical voting is all about trying to knock the Tories down to third place, rather than second. The chance will never come again to wipe them out for good. Literally never. We will never see the perfect storm of factors converge again: - 14 years of Conservative rule, marked by growing public discontent - A string of mismanagement issues, from the PPE scandal to Brexit complications - The rise of Reform UK, splitting the traditional Conservative vote and the perfect protest vote for people who would never vote Labour, LibDem or Green - A resurgent Liberal Democrat party - An astonishingly poor Conservative election campaign And with the LibDems in Opposition, the topic of Brexit will finally get a proper and frequent airing. That will advance the cause of Rejoin more than any other action possibly could. So hold your nose. Look past your frustration, your distaste, your anger, your apathy. And vote for whichever party can beat the Tories in your constituency. That might be Labour, or the LibDems, the Greens, the SNP... In most cases, there will be one specific correct answer for each area - and if you haven't been paying close attention to recent polls and local trends, it may not be the one you're expecting! (NOTE: The 2019 GE is absolutely useless as a guide. Things have changed too much since then.) An excellent resource is this tactical voting site, where you can look up the party best placed to beat the Tories in your constituency. stopthetories.vote/ Eyes on the prize. Always. Eyes on the prize.