Could it be that the best possible outcome of the Mid Bedfordshire byelection (Labour attempts to seize moment after Nadine Dorries finally resigns, 29 August) might be that, after battling it out on the doorsteps, the opposition parties split the vote and let the Tories in by a narrow majority?
That result would have two clear outcomes. First, and most important, it would clarify once for all, to all those determined to vote against the Conservative party, that tactical voting is the only sure way to get them out. And second, it would make it plain to strategists in both the Labour party and the Liberal Democrats that quiet collaboration is the only sensible way to go, given our flawed electoral system.
