Thursday, May 1, 2008

An electoral theory

All this evening I've been popping back and forth to the jolly old laptop to see what the electorate are doing in the UK. At the moment of posting, it looks like the electorate have given the same treatment to Labour Councillors that they did to the Conservatives when they got too big for their boots back in 1995. Two years on in 1997, electoral meltdown for the Tories.

There is a saying to the effect that 'those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it'. The British electorate always tire of arrogance eventually. When I lived there, I was always puzzled that many of my fellow voters seemed to vote not with their heads, but their hearts. They would not vote on the issues, or the capability with which results were delivered, but on appearances and attitudes. Vigorous looking candidates with full heads of hair who could lay on the charm thick and greasy were always preferred to the safe pair of hands. Maybe that's true all over the world. The majority of voters will always go for the people with the most hair and a nice smile. If that is the case, no wonder Tony Blair stayed British PM for as long as he did, despite all the damage he did. Gordon Brown does not have a nice smile. To be fair, his economic chickens are coming home to roost as well, which won't help his chances in the next year or so. That is possibly why the UK electorate are handing out a 'hammering'.

This also probably explains David Cameron's apparent popularity; even if I personally find him (and his policies) unappealing in a wet, Haddocky sort of way. Big hair, nice smile = electoral victory. Sounds like a reasonable postulation. Still doesn't explain Ken Livingstone though. Maybe Boris Johnson, clown Prince of the Tories, will oust the unpleasant Newt fancier as City Boss of London. Tomorrow will tell.

Don't care really. It's not as though I ever want to go back to Britain. It's far nicer here. Wife has just taken another serious step towards local certification of her UK Qualifications. I'm proud of her.

Current writing project is running at 2000 words per day and just went over the 47,000 word mark (Target 90,000)without headings or other such embellishments. The story works really well too, although I need to flesh out two of the main characters a little more. It's all coming together.

Time for bed. Busy day tomorrow.

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