So it is all over?? I voted true to form for my Country; Preferred Party; and respected Candidate. No guessing which one - could only be Conservative. Why after such a long time since the era of Whigs and Tories, the word 'Tory' attracts such torrents of abuse from opponents, and used with considerable venom in some quarters to emphasise a political dislike of Conservative ethos defies me. I have a blinkered view of course of Socialism; Nationalism; Liberalism; and various other isms. Personally I do not believe that the majority of people take much notice as the continuous attempts to knock the hell out of 'Tories' has lost its impact. Not unlike having a favourite song on continuous replay on a CD/MP3 player. The voting public are a canny lot. They are generally tight lipped, discerning in their decision making and not unsurprisingly frequently defy the apparent 'skill and knowledge' of pollsters. I have to agree that there were occasions in the last couple of weeks when my own gut reaction was in agreement with the 'opinion polls' because of the likely outcome being published on a daily basis, and at one point I was resigned to the idea of a hung Parliament and another election very soon. The prospect of that happening was very unpleasant and consideration of placing the savings under the bed seemed like a good idea. Whatever, the more one shared likes and dislikes; discussed this and that over a beer with friends of all political persuasions, it became apparent that something was not right. I recall several discussions with my friends on the question of accuracy of opinion polls and there was a very strongly held view that 'polling' was an intrusion, such as to merit giving completely wrong answers to voting intentions to surveys and researchers. There appears to have been a willingness to divulge the actual decision after the vote was cast as the exit poll reflected. There was considerable discussion on the impact the lady from Scotland was making and she managed to put the fear of hell into many, and still does!. What a sinister example of the power of rhetoric, presence; forceful presentation of a dialect to create and identify oneself with a cause. No doubting where the lady is rooted and the cause. Personally I feel the word 'Scotland' has become synonymous with nationalism of the most unpleasant kind. How soon the bubble will burst is a guess. Moving on I reflect on the question of 'Is it a British ailment that we have to press the self destruct button' so often?. We are hours into a new administration. An administration which has been democratically appointed after months of deliberation, and immediately has become unacceptable to a vociferous bunch of minorities. Minorities I say, because they lost the political argument and are immediately screaming from the rooftops trying to canvass their lost dreams on the majority. What a sad state of affairs that democracy and freedom can permit the violent scenes we saw in London on Saturday. The spraying of a memorial by misguided members of our country. Apparently, done to bring attention to a cause. How terrible a thing for anyone to do. Obviously those responsible had not seen the parade of power in Red Square, a terrifying display of political threat and ideology. Had they not seen the terrible scenes from the Concentration Camps; the suffering of Prisoners of war by the Japanese?. With the commemoration of Victory in Europe very much in our hearts and minds, and once again the recall of the sacrifice of so much suffering, a minority decided to try and make a point on 'austerity'. Having been brought up during a period of austerity I can recall vividly what it was all about. Ration Books; Darned socks; Patched up trousers; Down at heel shoes; hand me down clothes; Coal fires; Candles; Oil lamps (if you could afford the paraffin) etc; etc; etc. No NHS; No Benefits. That just about sums up 'austerity' for me. Yet, we remained a proud country 'British' to the core. One nation. Haven't we been on a roller coaster ever since?. I have said enough. It's off my chest. I have had a good nights sleep; all is secure; the local children are on their way to school (free); I have taken my free medication so that I can survive until tomorrow morning; I am free to do whatever I want within reason. That sounds very selfish, but it is not, because I am always 'mindful of the needs of others less fortunate than myself'. A fact!
