Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Batten down the hatches

...it’s electioneering time. I loathe the campaigning but enjoy election night on the BBC, can’t wait to see what absurd new graphical variations on the swingometer Peter Snow has been given to gesticulate at.

Nick Cohen has a useful crap-cutting guide here. I think he’s right that the expenses scandal – despite being cross-party - could still play a big part at the individual constituency level. Any MPs tainted could face a nasty backlash even in safe seats if their opponents get a decent hate campaign going.

Nick also observes that opinion polls are biased towards Labour. This may be due to the phenomenon whereby many people who vote Conservative don’t like to admit to it in case a 1980s ‘alternative comedian’ such as Ben Elton or Mark Steel happens to be passing and subjects them to a haranguing. Ignore all that and the electioneering and, unless local tactics require you to support the Lib Dems to keep Labour out, vote Tory for the aforementioned reasons.

4 comments:

worm said...

wow Brit, you've inspired me to write my first ever real-life political viewpoint on my blog, ever.

Can't say I've ever been worried at the propect of randomly being stopped in the street and harangued by a 1980's alternative comedian for my political views, but it does sound horrible, especially if it was Alexei Sayle

Nb. Labour apparatchiks reading this- employing out-of-work 'zany' panelshow comedians to do this in high streets up and down the country for the next month might actually work as a method of gaining votes. And it also would give anybody who wanted to the chance to kick them really really hard in the nuts.

Sean said...

Why kick them in the nuts Worm? I am going for hanging parliament instead of a hung one.

Gadjo Dilo said...

It's a point: the Ben Elton Factor was strong in the 80s - cajoling us to refer to the Tory leadership mockingly as Mrs Thatch, Normo Tebbs, etc - though from a comedic point of view I always prefered the more "honest" nihilism and violence of Alexei Sayle.

Brit said...

I've always had a soft spot for Alexei Sayle too.