The Guardian Backs Lib Dems For 2010 Election
To some, the day was always coming. The Guardian in an editorial published on its website today, set to appear in tomorrow’s edition of the paper, has announced it now backs Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats in the forthcoming UK general election.
The move will undoubtedly anger some readers. Those who shared the paper’s seemingly unflinching support for Labour’s progressive politics will feel shafted by this change of allegiance, but one gets the sense The Guardian was itching to make this marriage sooner. Labour’s gradual straying from its core values and reluctance to engage actively with political reform haven proven its downfall in the public eye and, apparently, that of the editors:
“Though Labour has enjoyed a deathbed conversion to aspects of the cause of reform, it is the Liberal Democrats who have most consistently argued that cause in the round and who, after the exhaustion of the old politics, reflect and lead an overwhelming national mood for real change.”
The Lib Dems’ urgent desire to reform Westminster’s hideously bloated corpse appears to be the main reason for their outspokenness but, in a fascinating twist to the story, The Guardian’s change of allegiance comes with a major caveat: they want you to vote tactically.
In areas where the battle is not between Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates but Labour and Conservative, the editorial urges voters to consider the impact of allowing David Cameron’s Tory party into power and tactically cast their ballot for Labour. Few politicians have been open about the prospects and results of a hung parliament after the general election. The Guardian evidently witnessed this probability and felt compelled to warn the public about the consequences of voting for the party they really want. A Liberal Democrat vote in the wrong constituency is often as fatal as a vote for the Conservatives themselves, they claim.
The government they have in mind is one constituted of Labour and Lib Dem MPs, working together to reform the political system. Nick Clegg’s proposal to introduce proportional representation is to become the key aim of the future coalition and such a system would undoubtedly prevent the recurrence of the preposterous situation we find ourselves in currently, wherein a party who receives less than a third of the popular vote can still command an overall majority in the House of Commons.
“Proportional representation – while not a panacea – would at last give this country what it has lacked for so long: a parliament that is a true mirror of this pluralist nation, not an increasingly unrepresentative two-party distortion of it.”
Proportional representation is certainly not on the cards for a Conservative government or coalition. David Cameron expressed his vehement distrust of that system at a recent rally on the campaign trail, chiefly because it creates what he describes as “a permanent hung parliament” and removes the ability sweep bad governments from office. Such criticism is warranted in a two party system but this is unfamiliar territory. The Lib Dems currently command a prospective 33% of the popular vote according to regular YouGov and ComRes polls, making this a three horse race. Proportional representation is becoming a reality for this country day by day, and we could be on the cusp of the biggest change in British politics for a generation.
So, are you in a Labour marginal threatened by Conservative government? The Guardian wants you to to prop up the faltering Labour campaign with your support, while Lib Dem candidates battling Labour or Conservative MPs for control should get your vote come May 6.
