It’s the dawning of a new era….

Just sitting at my desk – where I have been most of the day. Across the road is a polling station – there’s a constant queue of people and you can really feel a sense of excitement. Well that might be over-stating it – but certainly relief that the recent uncertainty and chaos is coming to end and that ‘something’ new is coming to replace it. I live in what is currently the only Green constituency and it is likely to be a close call between them and Labour.

Glad to see the back of the over-long campaign – god alone knows why the Government gave 6 weeks notice to run a campaign so ill-prepared. And it was surely beyond irony that the PM pulled Boris Johnson (the man who he is literally credited with ending the premiership of) into a final rally.

Some stability, backed with a strong mandate and realism is what we could all do with.

But I also think we need to learn some lessons from history: a government is unlikely to get more radical or progressive the longer it stays in power – so I would hope for a quicker pace of change han we are being offered. Similarly winning in a fundamentally undemocratic first passed the post system doesn’t make it any less undemocratic than when you are in opposition – I’d welcome a commitment towards voter reform that includes reducing the voting age, scrapping the ID requirement and one based upon proportional representation.

But more than all of that – we can assume that the far right / populists are going to grab the microphones and as often happens they stoke racism and division.

Naively I hope that the new parliament can work together to instigate change, reduce poverty and exclusion – to create a more tangible sense of optimism. They also need to work towards creating a narrative that supports the concept of liberal democracy. And to re-engage ‘us’ in democratic systems – they were hard fought rights that can easily be lost (just look at what’s happening in US) and are worth defending.

And remember England men’s football team only ever win tournaments under a Labour government…..

And remember to Vote…..