Switch on the TV, browse social media platforms, flick through newspaper pages, and observe recent polling and one will come across one broad consensus: the only way to defeat Boris Johnson and bury Brexit is through tactical voting. The urgency to vote tactically is not confined to just one camp but is, in fact, a universal phenomenon at this election with one major difference: the pro-Brexit alliance is much more unified than Remainers and those wanting to oust the Conservatives.
With just a few days to go until polling day, the most pressing issue still dividing Remainers is which tactical voting guide to follow: Best for Britain’s Get Voting, People’s Vote campaign or Gina Miller’s Remain United. This matters a great deal. While Get Voting and Remain United are largely aligned on which party to support in most constituencies, there are still notable differences between them and People’s Vote. Differences that could unleash a horror story on Friday the 13th.
Be in no doubt, choosing the wrong guide inadvertently could see Boris Johnson win a majority, permit him to implement his devastating Brexit deal, privatise the NHS, lower taxes for the rich even further and ignore the lethal climate emergency.
Therefore, it is necessary that you, the voter, understand the credibility, integrity and independence of each tactical voting website prior to going into the polling booth on Thursday.
One manner of judging the credibility of the three respective voting guides is to look at the number of updates they have provided thus far. Given the unpredictable nature of this election, it is necessary for serious advocates of tactical voting to reflect the continuously changing polling numbers when advising electorates on how to vote. While all three tactical voting guides have been updating their recommendations based on new polling data, there are some that are more up to date than others.
Remain United is the most up-to-date guide at the moment. They have been updating their recommendations at a national level very regularly, plus they are also updating constituency level recommendations almost weekly. One just has to scan their social media pages to understand that they are taking the volatility at this general election incredibly seriously.
The team at Remain United is providing all of these updates based on scientific, empirical and objective methods. One just has to examine the methodology published on their website to understand that they are completely free from bias. Their advice only looks at who has the best chance at defeating a Conservative, Brexiteer opponent as all the Conservative candidates have had to ‘pledge’ to not oppose Boris and his half-baked Brexit. For those who are looking for a completely impartial guide, Gina Miller’s approach at Remain United is the best place to go.
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Best for Britain’s lack of updates is very worrying, to say the least. Three weeks into General Election campaign, GetVoting.org ‘changed 83 of its constituency recommendations’. Of these changes, 81 switched their recommendations from Liberal Democrat to Labour.
An explanation for this dramatic change is that Best for Britain’s original voting guide was based on data from a time when the Liberal Democrats were doing well in the polls, which was dinosaur years ago in the electoral campaign. In other words, they stuck with the old data for about three weeks in a general election that has seen a constant roller coast ride in terms of polling numbers and voter volatility. Just imagine the voters who looked at the data in the first three weeks and won’t be aware of the change in recommendations. Rather than doing what’s best for Britain, the initial recommendation in the 83 constituencies might turn out to be the worst for Britain.
In terms of funding, there are many questions surrounding People’s Vote, apart from the toxic atmosphere now spilling over in the press. Writing for the Morning Star, Helen Field revealed that ‘a rich elite that includes Tory, Lib Dem and right-wing Labour politicians, company directors, and chairmen of global corporations, are giving huge support to the so-called People’s Vote campaign’.
With the People’s Vote camp also being marred by infighting, internal disagreements and disunity, why should one follow their advice when they cannot behave like responsible and sensible adults at such a crucial time? This is similar to the time when Mr Jo Johnson resigned from his brother Boris Johnson’s government and people were raising the valid question as to why the public should trust a prime minister whose own family is not united behind him.
On the other hand, Remain United is largely self-funded by Mrs Gina Miller in addition to small donations from normal and everyday people. No elite funding, nor any establishment backing: Gina Miller’s tactical voting project is truly a people’s project.
Relying on donations from the public and self-funding has a number of advantages. Firstly, it makes Remain United much more transparent as there is no need for sceptics to trace long lines of shady donations. Secondly, no one can credibly claim that either Gina Miller or Remain United are acting on behalf of the establishment. It is precisely because of their financial freedom that they can be politically independent and wholeheartedly objective in their tactical voting advice. After all, even the most politically illiterate know that financial freedom translates into political freedom.
Financial independence, regular updates, robust research methods and a strong commitment to transparency compels me to recommend Remain United to you as the best weapon in the fight to defeat Boris Johnson. More importantly, it is also their success at the May’s European Parliament election of getting record Remain candidates elected that forces me to listen to their advice.
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Muhammed Raza Hussain is an award-winning writer: the Extra-Mile winner of the News Quest Young Reporter Scheme 2014 and the recipient of the ‘Talent for Writing’ certificate by Young Writers. Twitter @MuhammedRaza786 | Instagram: @M.Raza.H_
