Vote Match - try it, I think you'll like it

My old friend, Peter Facey, and his colleagues at Unlock Democracy have launched 'Vote Match', an opportunity for voters to measure their views against those of the declared candidates for Mayor of London. Now, whilst I admit to being a member of the Council of Unlock Democracy, having been elected last month, I thought that I really ought to try it first.

It would seem that the candidate who most reflects my views is Brian Paddick, and that I should probably vote Liberal Democrat for the Assembly. This is undoubtedly good news given that I'm the Regional Conference Chair of the London Liberal Democrats, but reassuring nonetheless.

The concept of Vote Match is one that we should all applaud, allowing ordinary voters who may not have the time to peruse the various manifestos and who do not spend their time glued to political websites, news outlets and blogs to measure their views against those of the candidates and political parties. Admittedly, this does imply that the information used to populate the program is sourced in a politically unbiased way, but knowing the range of people involved in Unlock Democracy, I have little doubt as to the effectiveness of the tool.

The idea first took off in the Netherlands, but has spread across Europe and now to the United States, where it may prove to be quite educational. So, well done to Peter and his team, and I hope that it gets the coverage that it deserves.