Tactical Voting

In the lead up to the election there has been some discussion about tactical voting: is it appropriate to vote for those you really don't support, as a vote against some other party?

Tactical voting is caused by the First Past The Post system. Proportional Representation would discourage it in different ways, depending on the details of the PR system adopted.

Tactical votes are given for manifestos that aren't really supported, making the murkiness of politics even more opaque. Yet many would prefer this to "wasting" their vote or leaving the door open for a manifesto they clearly oppose.

Interactive Democracy may be operated with FPTP or PR, but voters could then vote for the individual policies they prefer, clarifying, to some degree, what they are voting for or against.

The Rise of the Amateur Professional

Amateur Professionals, or Pro-Ams, are those "people who undertake activities as amateurs but to professional standards." We are all amateur politicians, with differing degrees of professionalism, and many of us have our own profession which is often influenced by government policy. Interactive Democracy provides a framework for all of us to directly influence society and enhance the creativity of political life.

The following lecture by Charles Leadbeater explains how business organisations are challenged by, and can benefit from, Pro-Ams and customers, who help to create new product.