News & Opinion - Two days... and counting

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May 2010

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Tue 4th May 10 Two days... and counting

With just two days until the General Election it seems that the main parties still have everything to play for.

The Conservatives are on 35%, Labour on 27% and the LibDems on 28% (source: UK Polling Report), which means that although the Tories (all things being equal) will have the largest number of MPs in the House of Commons, we are still in hung parliament territory.

Although the idea of parties having to work together sounds appealing, as happened during WWII, the reality is that it would leave the markets nervous and country in the doldrums; there would be no strong direction as the main party that provides the PM would be held to ransom by the junior partner in the new administration.

But let's face it, there's a good reason why there's been no surge towards one party, as happened in 1997, because we're all that bit more suspicious of what we're being told by the politicians.  In 1997, of course, and things were very different.  The polls were against the Tories from the outset and they had no chance of winning; D:Ream told us that "things can only get better..." and Blair soared to become a demigod to lead us lesser mortals; he almost floated into Number 10 on May 7 such was the euphoria of the morning after the night before.

And we believed this whiter-than-white, youthful, vigorous new PM; it was a fresh new start that would really change the country for the better.  

Out with the tired old sleazy Tories and in with a dynamic new team of political stars.  Blair became the master of all ceremonies especially on the morning that he made his speech about the "People's Princess", Diana, Princess of Wales; probably not a dry eye in the country when that broadcast went out and his popularity surged.  Blair could talk the hind legs off a donkey and then sell them back to the donkey for a profit, and the donkey would still have thought that he'd got a great deal, such was his ability to frame an argumet or to sell a dubious foreign policy.

Of course, the undoing of Blair and the start of the end of the love-in with Labour, sorry New Labour, was probably the Iraq War.  Most people seemed to be against the invasion, including many in the Cabinet, which was based on an epic performance by Blair who... well, distorted the truth would be the kindest thing to say.  

The march by thousands of Middle Englanders, who had never previously demonstrated in their lives, went to London to show their disapproval to the prospect of war, but to no avail.

Fast-forward to the expenses scandal and cynicism with our politicians strenghtened to the point where even fewer of us believe what we're told by those that we pay to run the country for our benefit, not for personal gain.

Although our political system has its flaws we do have stability, a relatively strong economy and we are free to do pretty much what we want, within the boundaries of the law (of course).

Let's hope that that when we wake up on Friday morning that there is a clear winner and that our new leader will learn from recent history.  Let his new MPs be more visible in their constituencies (more often than once every 4 or 5 years) and let them not try to make promises to everyone. Honesty would be appreciated and being told things as they are (as difficult as it might be to hear) would surely be better than being told that everything's fantastic when the proverbial has hit the fan.

I think we're all ready for a change, but most of us, it seems, still have no idea what that change should be.

Happy voting.

 

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