I’ve worked at many elections, as a journalist and as a local government PR person, and while I never looked forward to working through the night (I’m a girl who needs her sleep) I always ended up having a whale of a time. You can’t help but be affected by the pressure and the excitement.
This time round, I didn’t have the option of attending a count but at least the time difference worked in my favour. I set up the BBC and the Guardian websites on my second computer screen at work, and kept an eye on them throughout the day, giving my bemused (Australian) colleagues a running commentary on gains and losses interspersed with cries of distress as red and yellow turned to blue and the failings of the first past the post system became all too clear.
As I write the Lib Dems are still debating who to team up with. The very idea of them hopping into bed with the Tories makes me shiver (I pride myself on being tolerant – but as you may have already picked up, that tolerance doesn’t quite extend to Conservatives…). The country has already been betrayed by a hopelessly undemocratic electoral system, so how can the one party dedicated to changing it even consider joining forces with its biggest supporter?
But who knows what will happen? Having worked for a hung council, I fear a hung parliament might just make things rather dull. Or my proxy might find himself back down the polling station before too long.
Anyway, I did my bit. I used my vote, no matter how ridiculous it is that I should have one, living on the other side of the world. I’m guessing that if Clegg gets his way on electoral reform, the rights of overseas electors might also be looked at. But you know, I’m willing to pay the price for a fair system.
Down under, out west 