In amongst all the myriad policies of the three main contenders in the General Election, there is a pigeonhole marked ‘important stuff’. You won’t see it in any of the Manifestos, but if you read any newspapers at all beyond The Sun, it’s perfectly visible.

The important stuff consists of all those things that will – within anything from five months to five years – render all the political debate of the last few weeks completely academic. For the election that is now just ten days away has been devoid of any discussion at all about the following things:

1. The impending financial collapse of the EU
2. The inability of our economy to fund debt repayment, recovery or not
3. The potentially crushing economic imperialism of China
4. The inability of the banks to lend a dime to a bum
5. The abject failure of the West to reform the financing of capitalism
6. The existence of a capitalist model quite inappropriate to the demands of
either austerity or ecology.

The one and only reason to vote at all on May 6th would be in order to support a credible Party dedicated 100% to ending the oligarchic nature of our politics.

Last year, I praised Nick Clegg to the heavens for saying “I will do business with any Party prepared to guarantee full proportional representation in all elections from now on”. (My italics)

But Nick isn’t saying that any more. And if he sides with Labour after May 6th, proper PR simply won’t happen.

However, here’s the thing: the Tories (for entirely selfish reasons) would not support AV voting reform under any circumstances. Whereas Cameron said last weekend he would ‘consider’ voting reform. So only a Tory/LibDem arrangement stands any chance at all of ushering in STV PR.

Therefore, the advice from Slogger’s Roost is as follows: whoever is the stronger in your constituency – Libdems or Conservatives – vote for them. But whatever you do, don’t vote Labour. Because no Labour Party – however desperate – is going to allow fair representation in this country.

What makes Labour unique is its ‘safe’ seat count: a solid 150 constituencies where Donald Duck could stand, and still get in on the Labour ticket. Only this concentration of geographically limited voter support has enabled Labour to remain a viable Party. And this is why STV PR – which overrules such anomalies – would consign it to history once and for all.

2010’s General Election offers the last, slim chance to ensure that the next election might be about something real and important. The choice is still ours – because where bigoted Labour and smug Conservatism used to profit from First Past the Post, there will then be a chance for new Parties (in the real world) to emerge. And put The Important Stuff on the agenda.