Place your vote with your conscience

Cross posted from Ian PJ on Politics

Place your vote with your conscience May 5, 2010

It is now less than 24 hours before the voting stations open in the 2010 UK General Election.
After 3 weeks of end to end coverage, there has been some positive campaigning countered by even more negative campaigning, there have been lies and counter lies, information met with disinformation and rightly the public are confused as to which is the best way to place their vote.
I can only say that you alone must make that decision, but I would suggest you now set aside the propaganda from all sides, and think. You don’t have to vote with the herd simply because you think everyone else is doing so, be yourself and vote with your conscience.
Voting for smaller parties or Independents is no sin if that is what you believe will be the right thing to do, if you believe that they will do the right thing and represent you properly if elected. No vote is a wasted vote no matter where you place it, so long as you do place it, but if you simply act like a herd you will be treated as such beyond the election.
Throughout this campaign we have seen and heard an awful lot about promises, pledges and contracts, some we like, much we don’t, but as we have discovered to our cost in recent years, those Party Manifestos are not subject to the law, and have indeed been proven in court to be ‘not subject to legitimate expectation’.
There is only one Pledge that will be legally binding when you go to vote tomorrow, that of The Albion Alliance. Those politicians who have signed up to it have agreed to the following.

I pledge to work tirelessly to give the voters of my constituency a democratic and direct voice in the United Kingdom’s continued relationship with the EU.
I pledge that I will sponsor a Private Members Bill, written in clear concise terms, calling for a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union – and/or support any motion for such a referendum – and to vote positively for any Bill that may call for such a referendum, irrespective of Party Whip, with a view to the successful outcome of this pledge within 1 year of a new Parliament or sooner.

If you really want change, if you wish to see the democratic deficit restored as much as these few can make it, I hope you make good use of the Albion Alliance database (click on ‘refine search’, then ‘pledged’). Look at those candidates kindly who have taken the time, trouble and have been bold enough to make this personal pledge on your behalf, by rewarding them and their honesty with your vote.
We would have liked to have seen far more candidates willing to stand up and be counted in this way, but those 99 who have already pledged, if returned to parliament can make a huge impact.
They may not represent a party that you would normally vote for, but consider whether on this matter alone, and the likelihood of the Lisbon Treaty coming before parliament again this autumn for re-ratification, does that individual candidate represent you and your view rather than the if/but/perhaps/maybe vagueness of the others.
Remember, If you continue to vote the same, you will continue to get the same.


I am one of those 99 so choose wisely.

Here is my write up in the Ham and High