Well, here we are then folks. I’m off to vote in an hour, and then I’ll just be footering about till the results start to come in. At the moment I’m feeling oddly optimistic: I think some of the excitement about the political debates has stayed with me and made me feel that things might go well tonight. But when I put aside the hype, I feel a lot less hopeful. I really do think the best outcome from this election would be a hung (or, as they call it in just about every other country, “democratic”) parliament. It’s the only way to avoid either the continued dithering and chuntering of a tired old administration, or the over-zealous application of the vaguely-defined and mildly sinister “Big Society”.
My only real hope for this election is that it will be the last one held under this clunky old electoral system of ours. If this is the final time I have to cast my vote on the basis of the least worst option that might actually stand a chance of getting in, then that will truly be progress.
Happy voting, everyone. See you on the other side…