“There is now an undeniable demand from the country – not only for a new government, but a new political system."
A tactical voting campaign has been launched before the next general election, targeting 62 seats, in a bid to oust the Tories from power.
Spearheaded by pressure group Compass, the Win as One campaign says that at the last election there were 62 progressive tragedy seats where the Tories won, despite their vote being smaller than the number of people who voted for progressive parties. Progressive wins in these seats would have wiped out the Tories’ entire majority.
Aiming to build a Commons majority among progressive parties and to reduce progressive competition, campaigners say that only through a strategy of power sharing can the Tories be comprehensively beaten at the next election.
The Win as One campaign says that it will prioritise candidates who are backing electoral reform and proportional representation.
Among its objectives is to:
-Build trusted cross-party relations in target seats to reduce progressive competition, so we don’t divide the vote
-Channel funding and support to candidates who back real political reform, beginning with proportional representation
-Create a movement of campaigners and activists on the ground in these key seats
Maximise the number of votes going to progressive candidates who can win and who want to change the system
Polling carried out for Compass shows that voters believe electoral reform should be a priority at the next election, with 63% of voters saying that the current system “puts too much power in the hands of a small number of swing voters”.
The poll also found widespread support for tactical voting – 71% of those who say they will vote for progressive parties at the next election would support an electoral alliance that would result in candidates standing aside for the best placed progressive candidate to beat the Conservatives, Compass says.
Neal Lawson, Compass’s director and spokesperson for Win as One, said: “There is now an undeniable demand from the country – not only for a new government, but a new political system.
“This polling stands as a clear warning and lesson to a Labour party that is refusing to back [proportional representation] and unwilling to work with others. This poll shows overwhelming voter dissatisfaction with the way the two-party system is failing. Ignoring this risks putting the party on the wrong side of the public – and history.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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