I wonder how newspaper editors (or publishers) prepare for the solemn duty of telling their readers which way to vote. Do they have a special election pen? These things are always written as if they’d been composed at a stout oak desk using the finest swan quill. Well, the ones in the broadsheets are, anyway.
As the editor of Blog 7 and publisher of Freaky Trigger I feel it is time to do my civic duty. It’s been more difficult than usual to find positive things to vote for: I think the Lib Dems have had a good campaign and are right on many things but electoral calculus suggests they won’t put on many extra seats this time. I think this country is a better place to live – from my privileged position – than in 1997 but Blair himself makes my skin crawl. I think the Tories have run the ugliest and nastiest campaign I can remember.
These are pretty common views for a mildly left-wing middle-class white guy, so I’m not going to expand on them as if they aren’t. It leaves my ‘endorsement’, such as it is, exactly the same as it would have been in 2001 and 1997. Vote against the Tories. If you live in a Tory seat, vote for whoever came second last time. If you live in a marginal, vote for whoever keeps the Tories out. If you live in a Labour-Lib Dem marginal, or in a Labour safe seat, then vote with your conscience (and have a look at yr MPs voting record, if sitting). I will be voting Lib Dem – Tooting is rock solid Labour and the incumbent, who was anti-war, is standing down. The new guy seems alright but it would be good to get the swing up.
There. That was easy. Don’t know what Murdoch makes such a fuss about.