
It's difficult to find out the answer to your question without trawling through the results of all 650 constituencies, and I'm not that bored, but I refer the honorable lady to the answer I gave some moments ago - I think you'd be disappointed to find out how few that would be.
The relatively even geographical spread of Lib Dem support compared with the other two main parties means that PR is the only way they'd be likely to do much better than last time out
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 16:35,
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The relatively even geographical spread of Lib Dem support compared with the other two main parties means that PR is the only way they'd be likely to do much better than last time out

I just thought it might be funny to offer an arbitrary number.
The number is: seventeen.
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 16:38,
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The number is: seventeen.

Giving 50% of the vote to one main party and 25% to the other two.
When Labour have 50% of the vote, they win 467 seats.
When Conservative have 50% of the vote, they win 450 seats.
When Lib Dem have 50% of the vote, they win 532 seats.
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 16:39,
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When Labour have 50% of the vote, they win 467 seats.
When Conservative have 50% of the vote, they win 450 seats.
When Lib Dem have 50% of the vote, they win 532 seats.

Not trying to shit on anyone's parade, maybe this will encourage a few people.
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 16:44,
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But it would be some good propaganda for them. It means a vote for Lib Dem isn't necessarily as wasted as a lot of people seem to think. Actually their biggest enemies seem to be the "others".
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Fri 9 Apr 2010, 16:47,
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I have to say though - there is no such thing as "good propaganda". It seems good when you agree with the message, but it is never good.
How do you fight two heavily financed propaganda machines? That's a tough one. Fighting it with propaganda just perpetuates the shit.
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 16:51,
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How do you fight two heavily financed propaganda machines? That's a tough one. Fighting it with propaganda just perpetuates the shit.

It's "good" if it gets people to vote for you.
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 16:52,
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I find it to be a bit more descriptive - transparent messages to gain power.
If you're going to put all political messages under the propaganda umbrella (even if, let's say for theory's sake, the vast majority of people voted with the exact message you were shouting), then let's differentiate propaganda from transparisma.
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 16:58,
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If you're going to put all political messages under the propaganda umbrella (even if, let's say for theory's sake, the vast majority of people voted with the exact message you were shouting), then let's differentiate propaganda from transparisma.

All political leaflets published by political parties are produced with the aim of convincing people to vote for them. They don't need to be lies as such, they only need to be persuasive in some way. It may simply rely on the audience's general tendency not to be very good at interpreting facts or understanding statistics.
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 17:03,
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I hope that doesn't get in the way of the concept
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 17:07,
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they're all of the form "Vote X, because if you vote Y, Z will win."
I'd rather see something more along the lines of "Don't be put off voting X by people who say they can't win."
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 17:10,
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I'd rather see something more along the lines of "Don't be put off voting X by people who say they can't win."

That being said, Lib Dems in England have an uphill battle. There is no shame in being the underdog.
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 17:14,
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I've been telling Lib Dem organisers to stop banging on about two horse races and make some proper principled arguments. The whole point of being a Liberal is not being a reactionary arsecandle.
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Fri 9 Apr 2010, 17:17,
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It's insane. The latest Labour one tells me that the Conservative candidate is hoping I'll vote Lib Dem. I was kind of under the impression that he'd want me to vote Conservative. But I guess I may as well now, anyway. What are they trying to do here? Make me strategically vote Conservative? I'm sure as hell not voting Labour, because then the Tories will win!
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 17:24,
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Baffling logic thought up by constituency organiser drones. Surely people vote Lib Dem more because they hate both the Tories and Labour, or because they like our policies. Bizarre tactical voting is an illusion.
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 17:31,
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unless almost everyone who voted Lib Dem last time switches parties. The idea that the Tory candidate is rubbing his hands at the thought of people switching from Labour to Lib Dem is completely absurd.
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 17:39,
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We've gone all heady and political. I think your estimates of percentage of vote/realistic seat share might be the wrong way round. But don't tell anyone, or they might do one of them 'tactical' votes.
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 16:58,
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Currently it takes:
96,481 votes to elect a single Lib-Dem MP,
44,306 votes to elect a single Tory MP,
26,860 votes to elect a single Labour MP.
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 17:04,
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96,481 votes to elect a single Lib-Dem MP,
44,306 votes to elect a single Tory MP,
26,860 votes to elect a single Labour MP.

The LDs will need 40% of the vote to win compared to Labour's 30% because Labour's support is concentrated in certain areas, however, the difference between 20% and 50% for the LDs is huge because they're spread out all over (really this just exposes how crude the BBCs toy is).
( ,
Fri 9 Apr 2010, 16:46,
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