Election Time

The country may (or may not as apathy seems to be reaching US levels) be in the grip of an election race between the Labour and Conservative parties but here in the north there is a straight fight between the Scottish Nationalists (who are the largest party in the Scottish Parliament but hold only 7 of 59 Scottish seats in the UK Parliament) and the Liberal Democrats (perennial 3rd party of UK politics). So the usual 2 party politics but not the usual 2 parties.

It will be strange for me to be in the country for a UK election. I have only voted in person in 1987 (when on the whole I was a little more concerned with my final university exams than politics); in 1992 I was in Malawi, St Vincent in 1997, the US in 2001 and 2005. Meaning I've voted more often in the US where I've been eligible for 22 years less.