A Moment In Time

So – at last the day has finally come – well almost – eleven hours to go - sitting here thousands of miles away – this election, the whirlwind campaigns, all seem very remote and very much not a ground breaking moment of history judging by the bits and pieces of news that have reached us in sleepy Ho.

The big thing – resisted so long – televised debates, US style – the initial excitement and suddenly it is a three horse race as Clegg (described to us by a visiting friend from the UK as a “nobody, a hopeless nonentity”), the underdog takes the nation by storm. Not difficult I suspect – the thought of Brown and Cameron slogging it out against each other – anybody with a half a brain must look better. By the end of the third debate, the overwhelming sense is one of boredom – please no more from these tired, clapped out half wits.

Some other gems – the case of Brown and the Bigot – as he is caught off guard slagging off a life long labour supporting pensioner – Cameron dithering over gay rights – what will play best and to who – tactical voting, that old chestnut – didn’t we always have to resort to that, best of two evils and all that – put forward by three senior labour mps and then played down. A creeping sense of desperation, scrabbling and scratching around in the dust as the spectre of a “hung” parliament looms – one is tempted – hang ‘em all I say.

So what happened to the big issues – the big questions – opportunities to reflect on our hell bent ride into Armageddon/eternity, come what may? A chance to really make a change, a ground breaking historical watershed – nah – no, more of the same, same old tired clichés, same old economic claptrap (prudence!!!?), same old wars, same old corruption, same old, same old. Perhaps it doesn’t really matter anyways – it all feels a bit like fiddling with the deckchairs on the Titanic.

Another image comes to mind, plucky brits stranded on holiday, being ferried back to blighty in a flotilla of small boats, dunquerke style – that’s one we like! So what of these big three leaders? Brown – clapped out and bankrupt in every sense of the word and not to forget the war. Cameron – smarmy, chameleon – you do not get what you see, beware the wolf – compassionate Tories? Bah! Clegg – who? So who would you trust – each one of them desperate not to say anything that might upset or challenge their constituencies – or then again willing to say or promise anything that might win a vote – all things to all people. Power to the people!

So there you go, sitting here – another afrikan night – down the road they are talking in tongues – will it mean anything –or just another roll of the dice? “I love big boobs” scrawled in big letters on the sea wall at Margate (thanks Teddave) – the state of the nation – depressing!