On Wasted Votes

Received wisdom is that a vote for a minor party (Liberal Democrats, Greens etc.) is a vote wasted under our poor excuse of a system to democratically elect a government, but voting tactically for the least worst alternative will just prolong and falsely legitimise that system; every vote cast nationally for a party adds weight to the standing of any MP elected from that party (each Liberal Democrat MP elected in 2015 spoke for 320,000 voters, the single Green had over a million backers, while each Conservative and Labour MPs spoke on average for just 36,700), and such numbers also strengthen the case for electoral reform; so while voting tactically may yield short term respite from those you disagree with, for the long game it makes sense to vote strategically in line with your convictions and give that party the clout of the popular vote it deserves.