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Sunday 11 April 2010

Election fever

All Britain is drowning in election propaganda. I can't decide who to vote for - they all seem to be rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic as far as I can see. I am glad to live in a democracy - and so I shall use my vote - but I often wish there was a good alternative to the adversarial politics of parliament. The real issues seem to get lost in the need to come out on top and the consequent name-calling and petty arguing.

I took this photograph outside the railway station in the noble Yorkshire town of Huddersfield, a few miles south of Saltaire, when I visited it a couple of weekends ago. (The Victorians had grand ideas and were very proud of their railways - can you tell?!) The statue is of a former politician, Harold Wilson (1916-1995), born in Huddersfield, who was Labour Prime Minister from 1964-70 and 1974-76. He has two claims to fame as far as I'm concerned...He shook my hand! (as he was chancellor of Bradford University at the time I received my degree). And he had the vision for The Open University, founded to give adults who had missed out on tertiary education a chance to gain a degree through part-time study and distance learning, and which is still going strong.

Coincidentally, Alan had a marvellous story about the 1974 election this week on his News From Nowhere blog - do read it.

7 comments:

  1. "rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic" - what a wonderful expression and so apt! :o) I am kind of hoping for a hung parliament - maybe the MPs being forced to work together - eliminating some of the worst extremes of the parties - will work for us? I shall follow that link to Alan's blog.

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  2. I agree with you about vote; I vote for the "less worst"! I LOVE your picture! Wilson seems to be alive and in a hurry for a rendez-vous!! I remember him.I leave you to go to Alan!

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  3. Even here "Down Under" we are getting lots of coverage on your election campaigning. The whole Brown visiting Buck House for a dissolution of parliment was top news.

    It doesn't take long to get sick of all the kissing babies and endless promises....

    Loved your bushy tailed visitor a few posts back by the way. We have packs of them here living on the beach and around the rivers - at least they keep the rabbits down. Hard to believe they all came out from England all those years ago and have settled in like natives.

    Cheers,

    Cindy

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  4. "The pound in your pocket .... " Once again it's the economy.

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  5. Yes, holding the power seems to be more important that doing the right thing. I hope you can get it all figured out because it is difficult when you found out you did the wrong thing once they get elected.

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  6. Politics is depressing for sure -- sometimes one just has to hold one's nose and vote for the one who's not quite as awful as the other.

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  7. Soon, I have to chose a candidate for mayor. I, too, am uncertain about which candidate to vote for. I am almost not interested in voting at all. Great photo in B&W too.

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