The Final Countdown

There's two more days of action, then polling day. Then it's all over - although if there is a hung Parliament my guess is there'll have to be another election within a year. And the economic position will be much worse; as I previously posted, coalitions and minority Governments may work where countries are used to them, but we are not. The uncertainty will almost certainly lead to increased interest rates, harming the economy and increasing payments from the UK to investors abroad.

I've been rushing about today trying to get things prepared for polling day; there's a term used by all the parties: Get Out The Vote. It's an operation designed to make sure as many supporters vote as possible, and involves trying to establish who has voted, comparing that to the known supporters and then trying to nag the remainder to vote. At this stage it means clearing my dining room table of all remaining leaflets (one more drop tomorrow) and trying to make sure people know what they are doing on polling day in my small but perfectly formed area. This activity will be being mirrored up and down the country by all parties, and I suspect that it will make a difference in marginal seats, where the best organised and motivated party is more likely to win.

I think Berwick Conservatives have run a good campaign. It's not easy to unseat a long standing MP in a safe seat when they haven't been involved in a major scandal, but the local candidate has worked very hard, focused on important local issues and has got as good a name recognition as the sitting MP. She has also built a hard working team.

I've sensed more interest in the election than I expected, with more people taking an interest in the canvassing, leaflets and media debates. The polls are shifting slightly in the Conservatives favour, although I can't quite believe that they can overcome the massive swing they neded to achieve.

A good sign is that Labour and the Lib Dems are becoming slightly rattled and are campaigning very negatively, about what's wrong with the Tories rather than what's right with them. I was annoyed with Clegg's outburst today about Cameron's "arrogance" in saying what he would do if elected. Actually, Clegg, having an idea about what you would do after the election would be rather helpful. And giving people an idea about what you would do it is what campaigning is about. But as long as you end up in a position of power I suppose you don't care.

What is a Hung Parliament?

The Final Countdown