Later today, the editor of the Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, will hold an open meeting for staff to discuss what political position the paper should adopt in its election editorial.

Since 1945 the Guardian has supported all three main political parties. It is the only national newspaper with no proprietor and free from any party political allegiance. So the paper is, very unusually in the British press, entirely free to decide for itself on which party, if any, to support.

It is a tradition on the paper that anyone on the editorial staff can come to a pre-election meeting and openly argue the issues. The meetings are a consultative forum – for taking soundings, rather than deciding the leader line by vote – but they can have a significant influence.

This year, for the first time, the Guardian has decided to hear not only from its staff, but from its readers and web users, too. So tell us who – or what – the paper should back in its election editorial as polling day approaches.

The editor has agreed to have at least a representative sample of your views heard at our meeting. For best results, please keep your comment concise and clear – and post by 1pm.

Where the papers have stood

Main national newspapers' support Click headings to sort ID Election (winner in brackets) Sun/ Daily Herald Exp- ress Mail Mirror Tel Guard- ian Ind't Times 1 1945 (L) L C C L C Lib L 2 1950 (L) L C C L C Lib C 3 1951 (C) L C C L C Lib/ C C 4 1955 (C) L C C L C Lib/ C C 5 1959 (C) L C C L C L/ Lib C 6 1964 (L) L C C L C L C/ Lib 7 1966 (L) L C C L C L/ Lib C/ Lib 8 1970 (C) L C C L C L/ Lib C/ Lib 9 Feb 1974 (L) C C C L C Pty Bal C/ Lib 10 Oct 1974 (L) Coal- ition C Coal- ition L C Lib C/ L Coal. 11 1979 (C) C C C L C L/ Lib 12 1983 (C) C C C L C All./ C C 13 1987 (C) C C C L C L None C 14 1992 (C) C C C L C L/ LD None C 15 1997 (L) L C C L C L/ LD L C 16 2001 (L) L L C L C L/ LD L/ LD L 17 2005 (L) L C C L C L LDem L



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