Friday, May 21, 2010

Election thoughts


Of course, a British blogger with her finger on the pulse (don’t like throbbing-type pulses myself – too reminiscent of blood and veins… ugh…. - though as a vegetarian I'm fine with the bean-type pulses) would have been writing about the little election that we had on May 6. In case you’re not British and haven’t been watching the international news, we had a choice for Prime Minister between the chap in the job – the Labour Party’s Gordon Brown, a pugnacious-looking Scot (above) -


– and two lookalike posh English boys – Conservative David Cameron (above)



and Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg. They all have good hair. (Though Cameron is a Scottish name. And “clegg” is the Scottish word for horse fly.)

I can’t really get myself interested in politics. I’m not proud of this, since I can see that it’s actually very important. So from time to time I pull myself together and read a few worthy articles to firm up my opinions. But my mind wanders, I must confess. The three of them had several television debates, which a serious person would have watched. I did watch the odd bit. But I got distracted by that funny twitchy thing that Gordon Brown does with his mouth and by the fact that the three of them all wore grey suits, white shirts and self-coloured ties and were the same height. I kept being struck by David Cameron's facial resemblance both to Nick Clegg and to an egg. (Or indeed half a bottom, as someone said on the radio. Oh no! I’ve used that word again.)

Scotland is a very small country where everybody knows everybody else or at least his cousin. Gordon Brown’s big brother was a friend of Mr Life's when they were small boys. It’s hard to take one’s husband's friend’s little brother seriously as Prime Minister. And my dad had dealings with GB when he (my dad) was on the University Court and GB was the student Rector. Dad thought GB was very arrogant – though it has to be admitted that Dad viewed himself as being invariably right about everything, so possibly he might not have been the best judge.

Anyway, GB and Labour got defeated, but not by much, as did NC and the Lib Dems, while DC’s Conservatives won but not by enough for an overall majority. So we have a coalition for the first time since the war. The Lib Dems threw in their lot with the Conservatives, but not immediately, so that I went off to work one morning to the news that the Lib Dems were entering negotiations with Labour and by the time I was driving home, the newsreaders were announcing David Cameron as the Conservative Prime Minister with young Clegg as Deputy PM. All very astonishing. Even I was mildly intrigued.



But really I’m much more interested in books, cats and flowers. Very shallow, I know, and if it makes it any better, I am ashamed of myself.






17 comments:

  1. I'm just delighted to find someone as shallow as myself! We have an election coming up this year here in Australia - Canberra is also a small community and we all know far more than we really want to about our politicians. Trying to cast a responsible vote becomes hard work - cats, books and flowers are much more interesting!

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  2. Yes! cats and books win over politics anytime. Big State political scandal has just broken here, but I have 2 cats to brush and feed and a stack of very good library books to read plus my Royal stitching to do. Those politicians will have to sort themselves out.

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  3. Oh how refreshing to find a 'like mind' with regard to the whole shebang....

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  4. I found it all very interesting this year - possibly for all the wrong reasons, I suspect - but you do have to wonder about anyone who really wants to run the country, don't you? Surely the job that tops the list of Thankless Tasks?

    I hadn't heard that rude remark about David Cameron - very funny.

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  5. I've just found your blog via slow lane life. I'm so glad I did, you have had me laughing out loud. Thank you for getting my day off to such a cheery start.

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  6. We have had a remarkably similar election situation here in Tasmania, with no clear winner, all sorts of weird goings on for a few weeks, the governor stepping in and telling the existing State Premier he's obliged to somehow try and make a go of it, and the strange result where one of the ministers in the ruling Cabinet is from a completely different party .(The party that holds the balance of power here- the Greens)

    Confused? I am. Pass the cat.

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  7. I'm not usually interested in politics either, but the sheer cheek of the Nick Clegg did astonish me. All that playing the other two off against each other. I think they may both find in time that it's a case of 'be careful what you wish for...' Definitely more to be said for cats and books.

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  8. You want shallow? Husband and I are shallow. Husband couldn't consider voting for Gordon Brown on the basis that he (GB that is) pronounced "constituency" as "consti'uency". The glottal stop made my poor hubbie shudder, gentle flower that he is. Personally, I find it deplorable that we have a Prime Minister who pronounces "probably" as "probly". Hardcore politics in the Loth household, I tell you. (Also: You may read this over again at my blog soon - I was gestating a post on the verbal failings of politicians when I read your post and out it all came!)

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  9. Just so that you have a comment from someone in the U.S., the problem I have with politics here is that the media, mainstream and otherwise, seem to color their coverage to support one side or the other. I have to watch the BBC's coverage of political events in America just to get an honest, unbiased opinion.

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  10. Yes, I already knew about your elections( we have to suffer coverage of it on our TV channels! )Not a lot of females contesting the top jobs there!

    Be as shallow as you like...at the end of the day they are all politicians....a doubtful breed at best.

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  11. I try to take an interest in politics, at least to follow what is going on, but it gets so complicated sometimes, and Big Dave is right about the media. I'm sure most people vote for whoever the media seems to support.
    Love the two Black Cats cuddled up together. So sweet :-)

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  12. Well that was English politics in a nutshell. Kind of like Cliff notes for your election, because I also don't have the stamina, or the interest, to wade through the daily blow-by-blows of such matters.....So thanks for being our political correspondent Isabelle!

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  13. ENGLISH politics???????? Ahem.

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  14. The youngest cat (4 months) is valiantly preventing me from commenting on politics by chewing on the computer leads.
    I'm all for being shallow and going to find him a toy and me some hot chocolate. I think you Brits are in for some interesting times in the next several years.

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  15. Dont be ashamed! Your priorities are mine exactly.
    I dont take active interest in politics, but I was mildly intrigued to wonder about how this will all work out for you. GB seemed a very enigmatic character. Spoofs gave some brilliant insights.

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  16. Anonymous12:44 am

    I much prefer your political take on things Isabelle.You made me laugh with this post.

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  17. "They" say that England is unique in going from the rule by the upper class to rule by the lower classes, with no intervening time with the bourgeoisie.
    Is this because the bourgeoisie were too wound up on glottal stops and other derisory lower class markers to be actually interested in the future of their country?

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