Who’s on top?

That was fun!

I have to admit a sad fact: I still get a small thrill when I vote in an election. I love it. I’m a junkie for it. I was at my polling station at precisely 07:00 this morning and must have been one of the first in my area to vote.

This has been a fun election. It’s been shaken up. We’ve had ‘presidential debates’ and ‘bigot gaffes’ and one thing seems sure – most of the population is sick to death of all of them.

Having said that, I think there are some interesting things to observe:

The Liberal Democrats are still third-class
It seems pretty clear that the public really took to Nick Clegg during the debates. It was hard not to. He seemed measured and balanced, and was the most personable of the three of them. This election seems to show that whilst everyone seems pretty happy with Clegg, they are still not convinced about the LibDems. I really don’t think this is surprising (no matter how much I was hoping it would be different). The problem isn’t the LibDem leadership – it’s that they have no deep bench. My constituency is a good case and point. I’m based in Edinburgh North & Leith. Our local LibDem candidate is uninspiring at best. He’s not someone that you want to vote for. He’s not someone that I wanted to vote for and, in principle, I tend to lead towards the LibDems.

If the LibDems want to be a serious party, they have to look at what candidates they are putting up. The top shelf is good. Nick Clegg is OK and Vince Cable is great. but it sort of ends there. They aren’t going to be able to compete without making a change.

This isn’t the Landslide the Tories wanted
Yes, the Conservatives are going to have the most seats. They can still get a government as I write this note (unlikely, but could happen). I really don’t think that this is the landslide I expected about a year ago.

Look at the situation. You’re looking at a Labour government that has spent 13 years in power. They presided over one of the biggest financial meltdowns of the modern world (and a lot of people blame some of it on Mr Brown). They started two major wars that have been hugely unpopular, including one which they were shown to lie about the reasons to go to war in the first place. They have faced sleaze and scandal. They have one of the worst leaders I’ve ever seen as their PM (not a bad guy, but unsuited to lead). They were due to get a hammering at the polls. I expected David Cameron’s party to do really well.

And they didn’t. I think this says a lot. There is still a huge backlash against the Tories across the UK. Look at the map – Scotland, Wales and the North are still shying away from the Conservatives. This is still a hangover from the old tory ghosts. It also says something about how uninspiring David Cameron has proven to be. Will all of those factors in his favour, he couldn’t inspire his party to victory. Astonishing.

British people whine a lot.
Jesus I laughed every time I saw that grumpy woman on TV bitching about not getting to vote. Her civil rights have obviously been hideously violated and she’s not backing down! In truth, I have a limited amount of sympathy. Do I think everyone should be able to vote? Yes. Should all votes be counted? Yes. But the truth is polling  stations were open since 07:00. Are you seriously telling me you couldn’t get to the polls until 21:59? Come on.

I didn’t get home until 02:00 last night, and I was up at 07:00 this morning. I’m off to make coffee and prepare for a meeting.

But that was fun!

-j

(I’m a big fan of Talking Points Memo, and I wrote this entry over there)
This election is fascinating for so many reasons.

On the one hand you have Brown, a prime minister who hasn’t won an election, faces a strong case of labour fatigue, and has proven himself to be a weaker leader than most thought possible. (He’s turned out to be the perfect No.2 guy, and probably should have stayed as a bridesmaid)

On the right you have Cameron, slightly baby-faced, coating familiar conservative policies with a new sheen of polish, warmth and (quasi) personality. He faces the accusations of being too posh, too privileged, and too much in the coat pockets of the old Tory guard. This is particularly relevant in areas like Wales, Yorkshire and Scotland, where Thatcherism hit hardest with the breaking of the coal-mining industry.

Then of course, we have the third party – perennial ‘third-placers’ – Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats. Nobody ever really gives the LibDems a chance, but this election seems to be changing that by the minute.

(Ok, you probably didn’t need the brief history lesson, but it’s the morning and I’m up early)

So, my thoughts on the Election:

1. Brown may still win. This pains me as I have a £20 bet on Brown losing, but I think it’s starting to win its ugly head again. Mainly because of the debates. The strong showing that Nick Clegg has made in these debates has placed him on the front stage of this election. The Lib-Dems are riding high on the polls right now, mixing it up in the 30% range with the other two.
I think this could play for Brown. If Labour and the Tories are too close to call, the swing towards Clegg may is also a swing towards the left, away from Cameron and the Conservatives. Most pundits are predicting a minority government, but I think there is a very real potential of Clegg swinging voters towards Brown. They will claim to be voting LibDem, but be scared that this is a throw-away vote to Cameron, so will end up voting for Brown.

2. Clegg will lead to Cable. Most of us who support the LibDems wrap ourselves in the Vince Cable flag. He’s by far one of the party’s best politicians, and someone who is poised to make a big gain if the LibDems  force a coalition government. There is a lot of talk about him getting the Chancellor position. In my opinion there couldn’t be a better candidate for the job.

3. Dissatisfaction reigns. As much as I have been a supporter of the LibDems for the past ten years, the reality is simple: The only real reason the LibDems are in such a strong position right now is the overall weakness of the two other parties.  Labour has been massively burnt on issues like the Economy and the War, and the Conservatives are still fighting off the reputation of Thatcherism.

4. The debates have hurt Brown and Cameron. This probably seems obvious, but the debates are a light-year away from performing on Prime Minister’s Questions.  Brown has never really shined and these sorts of contests, but it’s been surprising how weak Cameron has been. I have to admit that I’m predisposed to disliking Cameron, but even I expected him to do better. He’s had difficulty casting himself as anything but an empty shell of soundbites, and he’s been schooled by Clegg on how to (at least appear to be) engage with the public.

Brown is doing, well, as you’d expect him to. When he sticks to substantive issues he comes off a knowledgeable, and when he puts his cheesy grin on his face, he looks pained to be there.

I still believe that this will be a minority government for the Tories. The real question will be how much momentum can the LibDems carry and, more importantly, when it comes to the day of the vote, will people actually vote for them. If they do, this could be a remarkable election in more ways than one.

It’s been that kind of day and I’m in that kind of mood.

Too much crap, not enough crap, people wanting me to do their crap….

meh.

On the other hand, I’m off the booze.

This is going to be a shitty fucking month.

-j

Seriously, WTF?

I was never an F1 fan. Ever. I even went a couple of times when I was a kid (the Molson Indy used to be held in Toronto) and it never really caught my attention. Too noisy. Too quick. Nothing to see. Besides, I prefer sports where we hit each other.

But I got into F1 last year. The drama. The people. The race tracks. Yes, I fell a little bit in love.

This morning was great. The Australian GP was held a bit later than normal, which meant you could watch it at a reasonable hour in the UK. Having said that, I started watching at 06:45 which, if you count the cruel time change, was actually 05:45 in the morning. What the hell am I doing up then?

Really wasn’t expecting Jenson Button to win that one, and I can’t deny I’m pretty pleased. I think everyone has been counting him out this year – new team, new car, going up against Lewis within McLaren. But he did win the world championship last year and it’s not just about the car. You also need to drive it. He showed some of his class today – an excellent call on the tires (against ALL the pundits) and a classy (and smooth as silk) drive in wet conditions.

I’m also cheering on Schumacher. Possibly just because of the amount of shit he’s getting. Did anyone really think he was going to dominate the entire season? I actually think he’s doing pretty well. He’s getting back into the groove of things and starting to get a feel for racing again. For god’s sake he’s been out of F1 racing for three years…try taking three years off of anything and see if you come back on top form right away.

I think Massa, Button, Hamilton, Vettel & Schumacher could all be good shows this year.

-j

Not exactly an exhaustive list:

1. Cartwheels
2. The Tango
3. Chop Onions
4. Run as fast as you can
5. BBQ a steak
6. Ride a bus
7. Host a radio show
8. Talk to your grandmother on the phone
9. Your taxes
10. Church

I have only done a few of these….but I wouldn’t recommend any of them.

-j

Well, a younger, thinner, less obnoxious on the golf course, version.

And only on the Squash court.

For some reason I have the complete inability to let a bad shot go. I blame myself, get angry, get frustrated and, eventually, lose.

This isn’t good.

I’m going to try to go the ‘Tiger’ route instead.

And by that I mean mental discipline, not screwing ugly pornstars (mind you).

-j

I was gearing up to write a pretty good entry here, but I just can’t be arsed any longer.

On the plus side I played at The Grange for the first time last night. Oodles of fun Unfortunately the guy I was playing with (club president Ali) got hurt after the first game. Still….nice club.

So that’s a shitty update, but it could have been worse. I could have posted pictures of dicks.

-j

(and I don’t try that hard, if I’m honest)

I will admit to a slight smile of satisfaction when I looked at the BBC website this morning and saw that Avatar hadn’t won everything under the sun. I haven’t actually seen the movie, so it may be unfair of me to say that, but I don’t care.

Nothing about these movies draws me to them enough to spend the time and money at the cinema. And I like going to the cinema. I really do. I forget that I do quite a lot, but that makes it a pleasant surprise when I come out at the end of a three hour stay (in a comfortable chair with a bottle of water) and genuinely feel like I’ve enjoyed the experience.

I loved the ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies. Loved them. I went several times in the cinema (see? I can be bought) and I own multiple copies of the DVDs.

Nothing drew me to go and see Avatar, even though I am sure that I will regret not seeing it in the cinema in full 3D glory. It looks like a movie you should see in the cinema. It looks like a popcorn movie. You want to be there with your mates. You want to get the full experience.

But nothing drew me to go and see Avatar. Yes, I have had a patent dislike of James Cameron since he did Titanic. No question. But I didn’t expect to really have no draw to this movie. It looks…empty.

LOTR had a lot of special effects. No question. But it had a lot of story and the story is what made it happen. Avatar doesn’t feel like it has that.

Oh well.

-jordan

Got sent this dubbed version of a scene from ‘Inglorious Basterds’ by @curexcomplex

Pretty damn funny. And more than slightly true.

Merci!

-j

*I’m kidding, of course.

This is honestly the first time I’ve really enjoyed the Olympics, and I think I know why. I’ve really felt…well…Canadian the last few weeks.

It’s strange. I’ve lived abroad for so long now. Since coming to Scotland, I’ve felt more and more at home here. Scotland has become my home. In the back of my mind, I’ll always be Canadian, but I haven’t really felt a huge amount of patriotism the past 10 years. I’m not one to beat my chest every day and go on and on about it. I’m also proud to live in Scotland and to call this wonderful city home.

But this Olympics has really woke my sense of love and longing for home. Seeing the Canadian flags flying, watching the pride and excitement, it’s all be a wonderful reminder of why I’ve always been proud to be Canadian. And I’m missing my real home.

Tonight, I’ll be agonising with everyone else watching Canada play the US in the gold medal hockey game. Oh please oh please oh please. I’ve even brought out all my gear:

So I’ll be cheering madly for the boys tonight. And it’s been wonderful to be Canadian the past two weeks.

-j