The Shock

Ok so all the polls had been saying that the election was going to be such a close-run thing and it was a question of who would form a coalition with whom and we were on our way to vote on Thursday when P suddenly said:

"What if people have a last-minute panic about the economy and decide to vote Conservative and they get a majority?"

I stayed up to watch the results like I always do and there was the exit poll suggesting the Tories had done very well and there was everyone disbelieving it and Paddy Ashdown offering to eat his hat (I think the lesson we should all learn from this is never, ever offer to eat your hat).

People round here are referring to the result as 'The Shock'  because whatever your political views it was a huge, unexpected shock like this can't be happening, I must have fallen asleep and it's all just a dream.

So I sat there watching and, having grown up with parents who were members of the Liberal Party and my dad having stood as a candidate, it was painful seeing the Liberal Democrats so decimated. I wasn't actually surprised that UKIP did so badly and SNP did so well but probably like most people I thought Labour would have done better. 

Then I woke up at 4 am and realised I'd been dreaming that I was going to bed and then I felt I did want to go to bed so I did, waking P up and updating him "Told you so" he muttered. Then I couldn't get to sleep so after half an hour I got up, waking P again and sat there, listening to the birds singing and seeing the sun rise and watching more decimation and feeling sorry for Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband who both looked awful.

P had booked us a hairdresser's appointment for 11 am so I missed the drama of Nigel Farage's result ("You missed the best bit," said J whose Maths teacher kept updating them on the results). I'm sorry Nigel but I don't really like some of your policies all that much although I do feel a bit sorry for you and three party leaders resigning within the hour???

Who can believe it?