Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2010-04-08 19:20:49 - Graham Ellis
They're off! Gordon Brown fired the starting gun the other day - and I was most impressed that by the time that I came out of Well House Manor that evening, there were Orange posters up across the road.
I feel more involved - much more involved - in this general election. For I know, (and rather more than just a smile and a handshake) five of the six candidates for the new Chippenham constituency - so that's been a real chance to discuss, and listen to, their views and policy thoughts on some areas that are a particular concern to me.
Visit a bookies in Melksham, and you'll be offered short odds on both Conservative and Liberal Democrat, with somewhat longer odds on the other four parties. Personally, I would be proud to have either of the likely candidates as our representative - thought they are very different people. A couple of the others would do us proud, too. But in reallity, I'm dreadfully torn in choosing between the "likely lads", thinking that one would be very much the best constituency MP, and the other the most likely to carry significant influence for the country as a whole, rather that just within the area.
It is ... uneddifying ... to see election propeganda that says "a vote for the other party is a vote wasted if you want to get the current government out", or "a vote for the third party [in these parts] is a wasted vote". Uneddifying ... but an effect of the first past the post system.
There will be plenty of election coverage in all media, so I won't be doing a political blog. I'm feeling tired this week with all that's been going on - you'll have noted a couple of hiatuses in posting in the last couple of weeks. But I'm continuing to train with enthusiasm - Lua last week, Ruby this week, Python next week, Java the week after then PHP. Oh - and there are second PHP, Lua and Python courses this month too.
Me thinks it's a good thing I won't be taking part in the campaign very much - I wouldn't have the time anyway.
This Blog has been edited to remove comment which could have been misinterpretted.