Election Fever

As a cloud of smoke brought UK flights to a standstill, it was different sort of hot air that had many of us chattering away. The first live televised election debate ever held in this country was, even by my non-political standards, fairly essential viewing.
 
In keeping with the opinion polls, I was particularly impressed with Nick Clegg. I gather the reason that such an event hadn’t occurred before was chiefly down to the reluctance of the other two parties not wanting to have the Liberals involved. Based on the live debate, you could see why. I really hope over the next two debates that he inspires us to vote in the major elections and to stop moaning that things don’t change.
 
If he could really get that across and that message reached a large number of the electorate, as it should in this format, I think more people would vote rather than abstain. To me it seemed his message was more about common sense, whilst the other two appear more concerned with not upsetting their paymasters (unions and big businesses). The Liberals are always fighting with one hand tied behind their back in terms of financial support and the amount of advertising and promotion they can do by comparison. It’s like a slightly poorer football team, say Hull City, trying to get in to the top 4 in the Premiership. It must be very frustrating.
 
Labour and Gordon Brown have a tough task in such a debate as the current incumbents. It’s easy to say you could do better when you actually haven’t had to make any of the big decisions. However, although the content of what someone says should be much more important than the delivery, I can’t help but find him uninspiring as a leader. He wouldn’t have me jumping over the front line into battle and I want that from a leader. Barack Obama has that quality in spades.
 
The Conservatives have disappointed me with their poster campaign. In my business, you need to differentiate yourself from your competitors but there’s ways and means. Their tactic of rubbishing Gordon Brown in a fashion that basically amounts to a personal attack doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t believe he’s a bad person and everyone knows he had to manage a world financial crisis that no party could have come out of unscathed. So to direct all negatives directly at his door seems a bit hollow in my mind.
 
Hopefully the housing market will get a mention soon as I’m obviously intrigued to hear all their views on that subject....