8/28/2010

Do dirty tricks justify dirty tricks ?

A couple of days ago Mark Pack highlighted that the leader of the Taxpayers Alliance (not an organisation I have much time for as they claim to speak for me with no legitimacy at all), who is also heading up the anti AV group campaigning against a Yes vote in the referendum next year, has registered the yes2av.org domain name. This clearly is underhand and speaks volumes about the Taxpayers Alliance of the head honcho uses these sorts of tactics. It's hardly open and transparent is it.

Anyone who cares about the state of politics, you would imagine, would decry these tactics, no matter who does it. But not Tories it appears. Yesterday Dizzy Thinks sited examples of underhand Labour campaigning, as if it is some sort of justification for what the "No" campaign are doing.

Do dirty tricks justify dirty tricks ? I hope not.

Personally, I am genuinely unconvinced by AV, and wonder also whether a "NO" vote might cause some Lib Dem MPs to make it clear to Nick Clegg that they are not prepared to work with the Tories anymore. This then leaves Clegg with the dilemma whether hea joins the Tories with a handful of other Lib Dem MPs, or does the decent thing and goes in to opposition. However, when I read of dirty tricks by the "No" campaign, it makes me more inclined to be "Yes" and to campaign for it.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I think the best way to vote in the AV referendum is according to whether you prefer AV or FPTP. It's generally not a good idea to make a referendum on (say) electoral reform into a referendum on something else that's not on the ballot (Nick Clegg's leadership, or the Coalition).

Personally I doubt that any Lib Dem MP would significantly change their opinion on the Coalition depending on the result of the referendum: those who signed up reluctantly (or abstained like Charles Kennedy) will always be wary, and those who signed up and are determined to keep going for the full five years are not going to change their minds either.

dizzy said...

Hum.. not a Tory Nich. Not a member of any party actually

Anonymous said...

are the Lib Dems really going to sack 1,000 nurses at NHS Direct

Nich Starling said...

You are a pretty gutless soul, posting an anonymous comment on a totally unrelated subject to a blogger well known as someone who is not a supporter of the coalition.

You really need to get a life

Chris Paul said...

"do dirty tricks justify dirty tricks?" is a good question.

yes2av.org is not an especially good or unique domain.

no doubt both sides have rounded up a collection of possible domains for their own cause and may also have got some for ironic use.

Is this worse, better, more genius than registering mydavidcameron say?

Nich Starling said...

Registering any of them is a dirty trick and should not be applauded.

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