After a groundbreaking and at times excruciating campaign trail, the General Election is finally upon us. For the first time in decades, there is a third major player in Nick Clegg for the Lib Dems and the possibility of a hung parliament.
From social media gaffes (the Conservatives’ Twitter fiasco) to the television debates (new for 2010), this election has been the most hard-fought and heavily marketed of all time. The perceived importance of the Internet and viral marketing has meant a proliferation of press releases appealing to first-time voters. All the major parties have been involved, and the party leaders have been trying to ‘get down with the kids’ to extract votes from the normally apathetic youth demographic. Sorry Gordon, but I for one don’t really believe you like Glee. Our good friend ‘Dave’ was no better, with political broadcasts apparently filmed in his back garden littering YouTube in the run-up to the election.
That the televised debates helped Clegg’s popularity explode was less to do with the Lib Dem’s policies and more to do with his looks should reaffirm the general public’s tendency to succumb to a well-oiled media offensive. In the grand scheme of things though, this might not be so irrelevant. Under the harsh lights of a television studio, standing next to a one-eyed ‘dead man walking’ and the increasingly doll-like plasticky features of everyone’s best mate, Clegg was always going to end up gaining the most. After all, he had the least to lose.
With the 3 major parties so close in the polls, the devious practice of tactical voting has surfaced again, with endorsement from leading Labour minister Ed Balls. For international readers, the electoral system in the UK is based on number of constituencies won rather than absolute number of votes. So to prevent a Conservative victory, some Labour supporters might vote Lib Dem in marginal Conservative/Lib Dem areas. This strikes me as a particularly desperate move on the part of Labour, who have clearly lost confidence in their own ability to win or keep their seats.
Regardless of the outcome, or your political preferences (apathetic still counts), the General Election television specials should turn out to be essential viewing tonight. The major networks will have something for everyone: BBC, ITV and Sky News are offering comprehensive coverage, complete with hi-tech ‘swingometers’ and on the spot analysis and polls. Meanwhile, Channel 4 has gone for a sideways look at tonight’s action, employing comedians Jimmy Carr and David Mitchell to make light of the fact that there will most likely be a new Prime Minister tomorrow morning. Failing that, there are plenty of Election Night drinking games on the web to keep the more upstanding members of society entertained.
Next time, I may be writing as a citizen of a new, improved Britain that is committed to change, or I may not be writing at all thanks to an Orwellian police state. Judging by the amount of times the word ‘change’ has been bandied about, I’m willing to bet everything will stay (roughly) the same.
psymon001's Blog 
Election mania sweeps the UK
After a groundbreaking and at times excruciating campaign trail, the General Election is finally upon us. For the first time in decades, there is a third major player in Nick Clegg for the Lib Dems and the possibility of a hung parliament.
From social media gaffes (the Conservatives’ Twitter fiasco) to the television debates (new for 2010), this election has been the most hard-fought and heavily marketed of all time. The perceived importance of the Internet and viral marketing has meant a proliferation of press releases appealing to first-time voters. All the major parties have been involved, and the party leaders have been trying to ‘get down with the kids’ to extract votes from the normally apathetic youth demographic. Sorry Gordon, but I for one don’t really believe you like Glee. Our good friend ‘Dave’ was no better, with political broadcasts apparently filmed in his back garden littering YouTube in the run-up to the election.
That the televised debates helped Clegg’s popularity explode was less to do with the Lib Dem’s policies and more to do with his looks should reaffirm the general public’s tendency to succumb to a well-oiled media offensive. In the grand scheme of things though, this might not be so irrelevant. Under the harsh lights of a television studio, standing next to a one-eyed ‘dead man walking’ and the increasingly doll-like plasticky features of everyone’s best mate, Clegg was always going to end up gaining the most. After all, he had the least to lose.
With the 3 major parties so close in the polls, the devious practice of tactical voting has surfaced again, with endorsement from leading Labour minister Ed Balls. For international readers, the electoral system in the UK is based on number of constituencies won rather than absolute number of votes. So to prevent a Conservative victory, some Labour supporters might vote Lib Dem in marginal Conservative/Lib Dem areas. This strikes me as a particularly desperate move on the part of Labour, who have clearly lost confidence in their own ability to win or keep their seats.
Regardless of the outcome, or your political preferences (apathetic still counts), the General Election television specials should turn out to be essential viewing tonight. The major networks will have something for everyone: BBC, ITV and Sky News are offering comprehensive coverage, complete with hi-tech ‘swingometers’ and on the spot analysis and polls. Meanwhile, Channel 4 has gone for a sideways look at tonight’s action, employing comedians Jimmy Carr and David Mitchell to make light of the fact that there will most likely be a new Prime Minister tomorrow morning. Failing that, there are plenty of Election Night drinking games on the web to keep the more upstanding members of society entertained.
Next time, I may be writing as a citizen of a new, improved Britain that is committed to change, or I may not be writing at all thanks to an Orwellian police state. Judging by the amount of times the word ‘change’ has been bandied about, I’m willing to bet everything will stay (roughly) the same.
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