Should you vote tactically this election?

One of today's big election stories concerns "tactical voting" - excellent, something else to make the election seem even more X Factory. The Mail reports that Children's Secretary Ed Balls and Welsh Secretary Peter Hain have suggested that "party supporters in some marginal seats should back the Liberal Democrats to stop the Conservatives winning the General Election." Wow. Labour MP's suggesting people don't vote Labour? Well, yes. 

In the article, which sadly doesn't have the headline "Balls To The Wall!", it says that Ed et al. suggest voting for Clegg in Lib Dem-Tory marginal constituencies would increase the chance of the Conservatives falling short of an overall majority, and give Labour the chance to form a coalition with the Lib Dems in a hung parliament. Or as the Telegraph puts it "that nasty little game that the Eastern European countries employ to ensure that one of their number wins the Eurovision Song Contest."

So now it's not just about voting for the local MP or party you agree with most, it's also about keeping parties you don't like out of parliament. Check and mate. Excuse me while I lie down in a dark room and think about this. Thankfully, luddites like me don't have to think too much about it, becuase the Mirror have conveniently made a print-out-and-keep tactical voting guide (it'll go on the wall next to my Sun World Cup wallchart and that massive poster of dinosaurs I got from the Guardian ages ago). 

At the top, the guide lists constituencies that Lib Dem voters should vote for Labour in, at the bottom it lists places Labour supporters should vote Lib Dem in. And in case you were wondering which way the ever-subtle Mirror was going in the election, the line "Smug David Cameron faces defeat if people vote with their heads and not their hearts on Thursday" might give you a clue. 

So how does everyone feel about the election being turned into a big game of Risk? None of the other parties seem to be suggesting voters should tactically vote. Former Lib-Dem leader Paddy/Lord Ashdown/Pantsdown said during a Radio 4 interview that the call was "patronising" and that the public "were quite intelligent enough" to work out how to vote. Even Gordon Brown himself has played down the tactical voting message, telling GMTV that "I want people to vote Labour and I want a majority Labour government." The Conservatives say that the call showed "utter desperation" and stood in stark contrast to Mr Cameron's "positive campaigning". Are we sure about that?