Well, what can I say? To the surprise of everyone – themselves included – the Conservative party won the UK election. Months of polls, including one on the eve of the vote itself, had placed Labour and the Tories neck and neck. That one party managed to secure a majority is incredible. That it was the Tories is heart-breaking. From the moment the exit polls suggested The Tories and Lib Dems would be able to form a second government, things kept going from bad to worse. After the shock of the exit poll that night, I went to bed and slept very poorly. A big storm passed overhead somewhere around 5 am and I found myself wide awake. I made the mistake of going to check for news, and ended up sat glued to the screen until the final result came in several hours later, with tears prickling my eyes.
In the end, even the exit polls had it wrong: The Tories won the numbers to govern alone. In a bloody contest, the leaders of 3 parties, Labour, Lib Dems and UKIP, have all since resigned. You’d be forgiven for expecting to see a splatter of blood on Cameron’s grinning face when the results were confirmed the following morning.
It seems five long years of austerity, welfare cuts, increasing inequality and poverty were not enough to persuade the public to oust Cameron. Quite the opposite in fact. Without the presence of the Lib Dems, the Tories’ erstwhile coalition partners, the UK is now in for 5 years of pure Conservative rule. Already, the referendum on Europe has been confirmed, as well as imminent plans to abolish the Human Rights Act. Unfettered by a coalition, I worry Cameron is going to be too easily swayed by his loonie, Eurosceptic backbenchers and I fear where it will lead. I feel like I fell into a parallel dimension on Thursday. I’m desperate to return to my intended reality, where the polls were right and Labour is now running the show. The Britain that just chose this future isn’t one I recognise.
If any good can come of this election it is that it has highlighted just how unfair and undemocratic our “first-past-the-post” system is. The Green Party had 1.1 million votes. They now have 1 MP. The SNP in Scotland had 1.4 million votes. They have 56 MPs. The case for electoral reform has never been stronger. Unfortunately though, FPTP benefits the Tories so much I doubt they’ll want to change it.
So why were all the polls so wrong? The only reason that makes sense to me is the “Shy Tory” effect – people who are aware enough of the Tories’ track record to publicly denounce them, but who once in the polling station, vote blue. Well, this is a case of ‘you asked for it: you’ve got it’. Thatcherism has never been more alive and well. Perhaps it was all down to perceptions of Ed, the ex Labour leader. It’s a depressing fact that most elections are won by the tallest candidate, regardless of their party or their policies. Ed and Cameron are about the same height, but Ed never did shake off the clumsy geek persona that the right wing media played up to extremes during the campaign. Maybe 5 years of pain was deemed better than being ruled by a PM who cant even eat a bacon sandwich properly. Whatever the real answer is, it’s clear that logic did not get a look-in.
Ok, I could obviously go on about this for days, so I will stop here. I have made a conscious decision to stop following UK politics from now on. There’s just no hope left there anymore and every headline makes my heart ache. I shall follow French politics exclusively from now on. All being well, my citizenship application will be granted before the UK referendum, and in time to allow me to vote in the next Presidential elections out here. Lord knows the Socialists need all the support they can get!
Right, what did we do last week? Work remains much calmer at the moment. I’ve a couple small sites to do and a few plans to drum up some other projects, but for now I’m enjoying having some time off after a busy year to date. We’re now getting our act together as far as rehearing for our next gig: the Fete du Club at the equestrian centre at the end of June. We’ve managed a practise every few days and it’s starting to come together. We’ve made some changes to the set list too, but as it’s still a moving feast, I shall wait until it’s finalised before listing it.
Matt has a second gig to prepare for in fact! His weekly jam sessions with the weirdo neighbour and Lewis has led to them signing up to play at La Fete de la Musique in Nontron. La Fete de la Musique is the big annual solstice party in France. Last year, we played a gig for it in St Jory when my Nan came over to visit. I think they’re playing a number of songs that we’re planning on doing, which is good from a rehearsal point of view as there’s only a few days between the 2 gigs.
On Friday, we had a curry evening, hosted by Manu & Mathilde. Along with us and Philippe, 3 newbies joined us: Gael and Corrine, a couple, and their friend Jora(?). They’re all from Brittany. The couple have bought a place next to Jean-Claude and Nadine in the village, but it’s not currently habitable so in the interim they are renting Philippe’s gite. They were all very lovely and we hope to see more of them soon. I wasn’t in the nest of humours at first, but the company, wine and smoke all helped me forget my doldrums.
On Sunday, we had a small amount of outdoor activity: Matt rotovated the veg plot, mixing in some decent new soil and fertiliser, and then we put up the fence around it. I also planted 16 special seeds that as I type this are outside enjoying the glorious sun. It’s the hottest day of the year today, a record that will only last until tomorrow as more of the same is predicted. After that it looks like it may go stormy again. What else? Ah yes, the Smoo is currently unwell. He has some sort of throat issue: swallowing seems painful to him and he retches occasionally. Perhaps for him, like me, it’s the election result that is sticking in his craw…