Naomi...the day before the 2010 election, the LibDems had 62 MPs, the day after they had 57. So voting for the LibDems made some sense. Of course its been a case of vote LibDem, get the Tories. Which is a major reason why Cleggie stands to lose so many seats 12 months from now.
But before and after the election, UKIP have the same number of seats....
zero. I am going to repeat this....I would defend the right of people to vote for whoever they like, but if you vote for a party that has no chance of winning an election, you have achieved precisely nothing.
Of course, there is some point in tactical voting. I have been lucky that I have always lived in a constituency where tactical voting is not necessary.
But if lived somewhere else, and the only way of helping to defeat a standing Tory candidate was to vote for say, a LibDem, I would give the matter some consideration. Gromit has said that he intends to vote UKIP, to unseat the odious Nick Griffin. I hope he puts a clothes-peg on his nose when he goes to vote ! In the same position I might even do the same ! While we here on AB might argue whether UKIP are racist or not, there is no room for error where the BNP is concerned.
Chilli...I don't know whether you are a betting man or not, but if you really think that UKIP are going to gets loads of seat in May 2015, run down to your nearest bookies as fast as you can, because, by your reckoning, you stand to win a fortune.