Paul Anderson, Tribune column, August 6 2004

Yes, it’s that time of the electoral cycle again. There’s probably nine months to go until the next general election, so we all need to work out how to vote.

As I’ve argued before in this column, for more than a decade the differences between the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats have been nugatory by comparison with the differences between either of them and the Tories.

On some issues, Labour is more egalitarian, more liberal or more democratic than the Lib Dems; on others it’s the other way round.

But both are parties of the democratic Centre-Left — and either is infinitely better than the Tories.

So the priority at the next election, just as at the last one and the one before that, is to vote tactically for whichever candidate, Labour or Lib Dem, has the best chance of keeping the Tory out.

In most constituencies — those where Labour won at the last election or came second to a Tory — that means voting Labour.

But in quite a few constituencies, the Liberal Democrat either won or came second to a Tory in 2001.

In those constituencies, the best way to beat the Tory candidate next time round is to vote Lib Dem.

What follows is a list, in alphabetical order, of: those constituencies in England and Wales where a Lib Dem came second to a Tory in 2001; and those in Scotland — where there have been boundary changes — where the Lib Dem would have won in 2001 if the new constituency boundaries had been in place.

I have shamelessly pinched the latter from the excellent website Election Prediction.

But on with the fun.

Lib Dem and Labour supporters should vote Lib Dem in England and Wales where a Lib Dem won in 2001 and in:

Hampshire :
Hampshire East
Hampshire North East
Isle of Wight
New Forest East
New Forest West

(This article appears in the 6/13/20 Aug 04 edition of Tribune.)