THE Labour local mantra “vote Green get Blue” has clearly failed them.
The voting figures tell us that thousands who voted for David Drew also voted Green in the local elections.
There would also have been tactical voting in the wards in which there were no local elections.
Labour may have gained by as much as 10,000 votes but still lost by 5,000.
Tactical votes are wasted votes.
They cannot be counted upon to make a difference to the result or to the mindset of the politicians who receive them.
The recipients may delude themselves or pretend that they represent support for their party or its views.
They mostly don’t.
They are a negative vote against rather than for a party.
They distort the truth of what policies people really want, in order to sustain a broken electoral system that fails its own objectives as well as any test of fairness.
The Green Party remains committed to campaigning positively on its policies and to a change in the electoral system.
It is to the great credit of all those who stuck to their beliefs and voted Green.
Gerald Hartley
Elections coordinator Stroud District Green Party
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