This election has been something of a disappointment. On the campaign trail, amid early polling, we were promised a long build-up to a dramatic, exciting climax. Ultimately, however, the hoped-for Lib Dem surge failed to materialise, leaving them to make embarrassed excuses. On the other hand, the Conservatives were unable to fully implement their plan to comprehensively fuck the British electorate. But, with scenes of anger as some polling stations were unable to maintain an election, we seem to have ended up with a parliament that is disappointingly hung, and the continued (and desperately unwanted) presence of Balls.
...I think that's all of them. If you have any more, do add them in the comments.
So. Now that it's all over bar the shouting as everyone desperately flails around for a coalition that's workable, some thoughts about Election 2010. I didn't catch a massive amount of the actual coverage on the night; I was flicking from C4 to BBC1 until about midnight, then switched to the BBC, and around 2 in the morning my brain shut down automatically to save me from a fatal overdose of Dimbleby. I wish I'd had the foresight to do drinking games. Luckily, I'll probably get another chance in about six months or so.
Thought 1: No overall Conservative majority.
Ha! Suck it, posh boy*. 13 years of New Labour, which have included such notable cock-ups as, for instance, two wars, and people still aren't willing to come out for the Harris Tweed Alternative in sufficient numbers, even with a larger-than-expected turnout. What's more, Phillippa Stroud, noted Tory madwoman and social policy engineer, comprehensively failed to get elected in Sutton and Cheam, with the Lib Dem incumbent holding on by a good 1500 votes or so.
OK, so it's still not clear who's actually going to end up in government, or how long they'll be able to stay there, but being a pessimist I was expecting a Tory win, and I'm happy to be wrong.
Thought 2: Nick Clegg is going to be Very Important, momentarily.
If a Lib-Lab coalition is workable (still short of a majority I think, but it'd keep the Tories out for a while at least), that'd be deemed an acceptable level of win from where I'm standing. I saw Labour putting the feelers out to the Lib Dems pretty much all night, so there doesn't seem to be a question of any reluctance there. I suppose it depends on what the Lib Dems' price is. Electoral reform seems like the obvious answer. On the off-chance it's actually delivered, British politics will get several shades more exciting, and I'll be off to make my living as a guerrilla psephologist.
On the other hand, if the Lib Dems deal with the Tories (unlikely if you ask me, but possible anyway) there will be an explosion of very polite and moderate rage from their supporters, the likes of which has never been seen.
Semi-Thought: Gordon Brown's speech in Kirkcaldy wasn't 'elegiac', just awkward. Same as all his speeches.
Thought 3: MPs I sort of care about.
Sad to see Evan Harris losing his seat (part of an overall trend of Fail for the Lib Dems - get me on the next BBC election coverage, I'll break out my trademark Failometer), but glad to see Caroline Lucas become the first Green MP. Lembit Opik losing his seat? Meh. Jacqui Smith and Charles Clarke losing their seats? Yay!
Thought 4: How I voted, and how my constituency voted.
Safest Conservative seat in the country? Not as much as it was supposed to be, but kinda. 4.5% swing to the Lib Dems (who I voted for), although unfortunately that wasn't nearly enough and Bosnia Bob is my new MP with a sizeable majority (something like 18,000). Labour got beaten into third by the Lib Dems, ahead of UKIP, the BNP, the Greens and the English Democrats, in that order. In all, the fascist BNP twunts got 2.1% of the vote - just over a thousand, and 400 more than the Greens. As predicted, UKIP proved to be far more Our Sort of People for voters here. Bah. Disappointing, but few surprises.
democracy in action, looking bewildered and slightly awkwardSemi-Thought: For all the talk of the Politics of Hope, the Politics of Fear and the Politics of Change, what the British public really embraced was the politics of meh.
Thought 5: How it's all going to play out.
Backroom deals. What used to be beer and sandwiches, although if you're dealing with the Lib Dems it's really going to be more of an Evian and paninis sort of deal.
Thought 6: If the first ten hours of it are any judge, being 19 is highly, highly over-rated.
* Coincidentally, this is also the title of my forthcoming autobiography. Available soon in all good bookshops.
3 comments:
Interesting to read your thoughts. :o)
I was in the middle of writing a massive screed about how a strictly proportional distribution of seats would have given the Tories a near-absolute majority, but then i realised that i was confusing 235.3 with 335.3. Kind of embarassing to realise that i had sat and stared at a percentage of 36.2 and thought, yes, proprtionally-speaking that should give them 50% of the seats...
Congratulations on your first vote! At least you know it counted for something, with the swing to the Lib Dems. :o)
...swing to the Lib Dems in your constituency, i meant to say.
Happy Birthday! Personally I preferred being 19 to being 18. But the improvement was slight I must admit.
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