Election Debates

I know this is supposed to be a film and TV blog, so I was wondering how I could get away with posting something about the election while staying on topic. I've only just realised (perhaps rather stupidly) that the majority of the electioneering in 2010 has taken place on the television, so in fact I'm perfectly-placed to comment.

The strange thing about the debates was how they dispatched with the idea that the new media had taken over from television as most people's way of consuming news and entertainment. This was supposed to be the election in which Twitter and Facebook were ruling the roost, instead we have good old-fashioned television 'changing the game' in favour of a lesser party.

The rise of Nick Clegg via the first televised debate has put to rest any remaining question about the ever-present power of the media in modern politics. Anyone with any serious interest in politics has been aware of Clegg for years, I guess that for the majority of Brits with a passing interest every 5 years the concept of a credible third party came as something of a revelation. Sadly for Clegg, the mass realisation by Britain that his party exists has coincided with what is sure to be the closest election since 1992, and as such the surge in support that he saw following the first debate has since ebbed away as people in marginals realise that they need to vote for one of the 'old' parties to keep the other out. Had the Lib Dem surge happened in 2001 they could easily have squeezed the Tories into third place. Now it seems that they will once again end up a long way third in the Commons.

Personally, as a resident and registered voter in Wokingham (current incumbent: John Redwood with his complete joke of a massive Tory majority), my vote (for the Lib Dems) will have literally no influence on the national scene. I have a council vote too, looking through the history of voting in Wokingham the council has traditionally swung between Tory and Liberal, so at least there's some comfort in having an influence locally. I'm voting Lib Dem partly as a tactically vote (they are the second party in Wokingham), partly as their public spending policy favourably impacts my job (they have promised to maintain the Highways Agency's research budget at present levels) and partly due to a number of policies (scrapping trident, immigration amnesty, increasing lower rate tax allowance); but mostly because of their opposition to the Iraq war.

Presently I am literally terrified about waking up tomorrow morning, turning on the television and seeing David Cameron's smug face in front of Downing Street. Labour deserve to be thrown out of office for their waging of a war abroad against Iraq and at home against civil liberties, but please don't let's allow Cameron and George Osborne (what even qualifies him to be chancellor?) to get in. Bring on the hung parliament with the Lib Dems demanding Vince Cable be chancellor as their price for a joint administration, that'd be nice.