I love this sign, seen outside my local polling station this morning at 7:45am when I went in to vote. It seems to sum up the combination of great earnestness and very slight incompetence which has always been the hallmark of the British polling station... I was slightly disappointed that the rickety plywood booths had been replaced by some rather smart modular ones; but the pencils were as awful as ever, so that was all right...
The contest in my home area is somewhat overshadowed by the contest in the area where I work. Only a Boris supporter has actually attempted to sticker me against my will, but I've had all the leaflets, and do hope that the people who do actually have a vote have got out there and used it. I'm going to follow my usual practice and ask any Londoner who whinges in the last four years who they voted for; anyone who didn't put a cross in any box (or indeed, two, if they felt like it... or voted for RON*, or drew a picture of a starfish...) has no voice afterwards, as far as I'm concerned...
I have all sorts of other things to blog including some fabulous yarn; but I get a bit irrational when it comes to elections. If I ruled the world and were to make anything at all compulsory, it'd be voting. If only to save the irritation of listening to non-voters droning on and on about the awfulness of "the system"...
Here endeth the rantette...
*I'm not sure how widespred RON is - but it used to stand for Re-Open Nominations in student elections. Occasionally RON would win...
Edited to add: Another reason elections are fun is the tremor of excitement in the voice of James Naughtie as he contemplates three hours of speculation and local results, and calculation of whether the results in Sunderland South or Little Snoring, if transposed to a General Election, would mean a landslide victory for the Mackem Party or Residents against the Eco-Town... he is the David Attenborough of election coverage, endlessly fascinated, endlessly amused, totally gobsmacked to be doing this job...
