Swap My Vote

Tom de Grunwald — Sun, 02 May 2010 21:06:21 +0000

swapmyvote.org.uk would allow people who feel their vote may be wasted to swap with someone in another constituency.The idea came this evening when a friend and I were discussing how she really wants to vote Lib Dem and I Green. She lives in Brighton, and I live in Richmond Park. So we agreed we could swap votes. That way we increase the chances of a first Green MP, and minimise the chances of Zac Goldsmith getting in. Simples.

I’m no web developer but I do have a sense of what is possible, and there is a lot of information available that would help build such a site. Asking users for their postcode, it could potentially use datasets from guardian.co.uk/openplatform and mysociety to allow voters to identify whether their vote ‘counts’ in their constituency, and which other constituency would benefit from a vote for the party they would wish to support.

Okay, so using the site could be something of a massive act of faith (that your vote ‘buddy’ would vote as claimed), but it could help progressive leaning voters acheive the parliament they desire. Call it ‘voter solidarity’!

It may seem illiberal but I don’t want to work to encourage the extreme right wing. Therefore I suggest the ground rules would be that you can only swap with other people who want to vote for progressive parties.

I’ve registered the domain above (swapmyvote.co.uk is currently occupied) and woud love to see us use the possibilities the web offers better to represent the people’s wishes.

Clearly time is short (I wish someone had thought of it a month ago – or maybe they did!), but if anyone would like to help build it, please do get in touch.

Posted via email from TdG

Open Letter to Susan Kramer, Lib Dem Families Spokesperson

Tom de Grunwald — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:51:12 +0000

Dear Susan,

Thank you for your response to my previous correspondence. Whilst I can appreciate many of your points I would much appreciate a further response to a number of urgent points.

Firstly I would ask that you probe more deeply into the veracity of the report of the 17th March which you cite. The point has widely been made that the figures on which the report was based were highly speculative and biased and take no account of the benefits of New Media on the industries which the report describes.

Your researcher Erin kindly said that she would let me know if the bill were to come up during the wash up process, which it I heard from other sources that it did, today.

I have therefore been following this reading of the Bill in the House, and note that it seems you were not present this Tuesday to debate this ill-thought out, poorly debated and heavily lobbied bill. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I note from your current position within the Liberal Democrat Party and from your voting record that families are clearly important to you. Please could you let me know as a matter of urgency how you think that allowing a bill to pass that could criminalise and cut off Internet access to families sits with your party’s policy, and indeed with your personal sense of morality.

You write in your response to my previous letter that you hoped that controversial parts of the bill would be subject to maximum scrutiny and that it would be possible to change them before a final decision is made.

Therefore, lastly and most importantly, please can you reassure me that you and your colleagues in the Liberal Democrat Party will be there in force today to oppose the third passage of the bill.

I await your urgent response,

Yours sincerely,

Tom de Grunwald

Posted via email from TdG

Tom de Grunwald » Policy

Swap My Vote

Open Letter to Susan Kramer, Lib Dem Families Spokesperson