This has been a terrible election. It's been dominated by lies, misinformation, avoidance of scrutiny, and an utter failure on the behalf of most of the media to hold the Tories to account. Labour should be able to wipe the floor with such a callous, indifferent government but instead their failure to take a clear position on Brexit or to deal with anti-semitism has been abject.

Boris Johnson's repetition of "Get Brexit Done" has been almost as robotic as Theresa May's "Strong and Stable" two years ago and it's based on an utter lie. Brexit isn't a thing you can finish - it's an ongoing process that's going to eat up government energy, time, and money for the foreseeable future. A vote for the Tories isn't, as they seem to be claiming, a vote for the status quo but a vote for profound change. The withdrawal agreement as proposed represents nearly the hardest possible Brexit, putting a border down the Irish Sea and destroying what's left of the manufacturing sector in the UK. We're also likely to face another no-deal cliff edge this time next year with the chances of securing a trade deal by the end of the Transition Period looking close to nil. Yet no-one has attempted to scrutinise the deal, explore it's implications, or even attempt to engage with the public about what it might mean for people's lives. This is an utter failure, particularly on behalf of the BBC who are supposed to be an impartial public broadcaster.

Labour also must bear some responsibility for this failure to critically scrutinise the Tories' core (perhaps only?) policy offer. By repeatedly fudging on Brexit, they avoid the necessity of holding the Tories to account. You cannot talk about the need for investment in public services without talking about the fact that Johnson's deal makes this country profoundly poorer and thus less able to provide the public services that people need. Yes, US Trade Deals threaten the NHS but so does the whole enterprise of Brexit. And how can it be right that Jo Swinson has faced more scrutiny and taken more responsibility (correctly in my opinion) for the damage austerity has done than any single person who is a member of the actual government?

So what can we do, in the face of so little hope and so much incompetence? Vote. It's a slim chance but use your vote. Vote tactically to stop a Tory Brexit and a Tory Government wherever you are. In lots of places that will mean voting Labour but in some places, the Lib Dems, the Greens, the SNP, Plaid Cymru, or independent candidates will stand the best chance. In South West Surrey where I live I'm lucky in that my party of choice (the Lib Dems) is also the best placed, albeit by a long shot, to try and unseat Jeremy Hunt. Where you are might be different - but this election is going to be close in a lot of places, so your vote could make all the difference.

There are lots of tactical voting sites out there - I've recommended a few below:

• Best for Britain (remain/anti-Brexit focus): https://tacticalvote.getvoting.org/
• Tactical Vote (more general anti-Tory focus): https://tactical.vote

If you need to find your local polling station then look at https://wheredoivote.co.uk/

I'm not sure what happens next but I can only hope that this election is not going to end the way the polls predict. Use your vote wisely.