As I spent election night writing about football

TW: Politics

I will spend the second quarterfinal writing about politics.

Election Build Up

There wasn't actually much of it. Partly because it was a snap election (and I think this and Macron suggest they are not a good idea for the incumbent) so no one had time to set anything up and partly because one major party is so disliked they had to hide who they are and the other one were operating on a silent running / don't fuck this up policy.

I got a total of three leaflets/letters, one for the local green/black/white/red Independent, one for Labour (the letter) and one from the Conservatives that was so heavily disguised that I thought it was a Lib Dem one. (Yellow and very dark blue are not Tory colours)

Not entirely surprised that the Lib Dems skipped us, because limited resources and the seat I'm in being very much graduands of the generation stuffed over by Nick Clegg.

I did like what Ed Davey did because he's right, being sensible was going to get them no coverage, and he used the silliness to attract attention to important issues.

If we weren't a First Past The Post system, I would definitely have voted Lib Dem (even if I haven't forgiven them for the Student Loan thing).

Unfortunately we are in an FPTP system so I voted Labour, partly because I do like my local MP (not as much as the previous but ... you know) and partly because I felt the need to make sure an adult was in charge, and I am very worried about Quiet Tories (and Reform).

Pretty much every seat I have ever spent time in was Red Rump Labour so were all Labour holds.

The one exception was Leicester West which has always been a swing seat. Not surprised it went to one of the green/white/red/black independents. (And very happy to see Steve Score standing in Leicester South)

I do have some fun tales of Birmingham Ladywood, which similarly, always had the chance to got Independent because of demographics. It got to the point where the Labour candidate brought out the relatives. Colleague's family is from the same village in Pakistan and there was full blown "uncle of candidate appears bearing tales of 'I knew your father when he was knee high to a grasshopper".

(I have my own theory about why Jess Philips was targeted and it has a lot to do with her being a mouthy woman and therefore people gunning for her).

Election Result

I have to admit to a soft-spot for Kier Starmer. He's a Social Democrat in a country with no Social Democrat party. I don't always agree with his policy choices, but at least he's an adult. And I want a grown up in charge (like seriously, look at his ministerial choices, we have competent adults again).

I also admire him for being the only one willing to put his head over the parapet and take the leadership after Corbyn, knowing that he'd get hell for it. And everyone else (looking at you so damn much Andy Burnham) was willing to let him take that, and then planned to ride to the rescue when everything fell apart.

Somehow it didn't, because I suspect I am not alone in my desire for an adult to be in charge, so now we've got someone in charge who probably never really wanted to be Prime Minister (and personal belief, while I think would have been excellent at any of the other high ministries of state, is going to be a peculiarly awkward prime minister) and wound up there by accident.

It'll be an interesting few years I suspect.