Difference

So, the general election is nearly upon us again and as the most opinionated person I know, I feel like it is my duty to vote, despite not having a clue who to vote for.


I am a massive advocate for voting.  I think its essential.  You can't have an opinion, in my opinion, if you don't vote.  You can't complain about the amount of tax you are paying or the state of our roads if you are not prepared to make a difference and vote.


But its a massive chore isn't it?  And so complicated.  And here's where my problem lies.  I am not a huge fan of complication and I think as an electorate - we are blinded with science and that's why we don't vote.  Its too bloody complicated. 

The problem with the UK is we soooo know how to over complicate things. I recently stayed in an hotel that I booked and paid for in advance.  On arrival I didnt have the same debit card with me that I'd paid on, so despite them having my money in their bank account for over a week they made me pay again. Offering me a refund of the money they already had in their bank account. And this refund would take up to 7 days. All because I didn't have the debit card I originally paid with?  Utter madness and hugely over complicated.


So, back to this voting malarkey. I was watching something on telly the other day about how the party that wins have to have so many seats more, and if they don't its a hung parliament and then a coalition forms and I lost the will to live and woke up 1/2 hour later.


I am sure there is method in someone's madness about this unnecessary complication.  But essentially its a race.  And the easy answer to this is the winner should win.  Right?


I mean Usain Bolt doesn't peg it down the 100m track tons faster than any other man on the planet to be told at the finishing line, that no actually, you are not the winner because you didn't beat the man behind you by 3 clear seconds and you had 1000 less fans in the stadium - so actually the gold medal goes to Mr Quite Slow who came in second from last.    Or, if you want to win, you can decide to share the podium with Mr Quite Slow and argue over the gold medal.    Because that would be mental.  But here's how it kind of works with our elections.


Why can't we all just saunter up to the polling stations - tick a box next to the colour Red, Blue, Yellow, Purple, Green etc and then post it in a letterbox.  And then someone just counts how many for red, how many for blue and the one who gets the most,  runs the country.  Simple.

And the manifesto's. Why can't they just deliver it on an A4 sheet bullet pointing the important bits. I dont want to read tons of shit that doesn't make sense.


And as for forming a coalition.  That is utter madness too.  Two parties who have nothing in common join forces because they are both too petulant to want to admit defeat.  And then they have to start pretending that they can find common ground.   And make decisions to run a country based on two totally separate idealisms.  Its hurts my brain.


You wouldn't ask Black Sabbath to do a duet with One Direction, because not only would it sound shit but they would not sell their souls to the devil to do this because, surely, it would go against every creative bone in their body.    And then there's Cameron and Clegg. And that works how? Clegg just always looks like he's happy someone thought to invite him to the party. And no one really cares what he has to say. He's just kinda there, you know?


What about the fear of the impending change that the election may bring?


I am very happy in life.  I'm incredibly lucky to wake up every day raring to go and with a huge smile. More so now summer is here.  I have a great full time job. My children go to a good school. And they are happy too.  I have a really low monthly mortgage payment because interest rates are so low. I am happy with the amount of tax myself and the husband pay. I pay national insurance for a health service that's ok.  I have a healthy pension pot.  I can afford petrol.  And when you wake up every day and life is good, who wants change?  The Conservative government have been in power since my life turned good, so do I want this to change?  But the Conservatives?  I've spent my entire life, a product of the 1980's, thinking they were a shower of shite.....    And my childhood was full of Margaret Thatcher and her voice.  Her voice that made my teeth itch.  And I spent my entire childhood thinking she was a bit of a pratt instead of thinking she was a kick arse woman who was quite awesome but with obviously dubious political ideals.


I dunno.  Its all a bit much.  I read Facebook posts most days about who should be voting for who and why you should be voting for them.  But its personal.  To you.  No one else needs to know who you are voting for.    And I certainly wont be sharing that either.  And I will decide.  I will read up on each party and make my own personal informed choice ( and then tell my husband who to vote for) .


But the apathy of "they are all crap" so I won't be voting needs to stop.  Make a decision and stick with it.    Use the right to vote that you all have.  Make a difference.


Or don't vote if you don't want to make a difference.  That's cool too.   Because luckily we live in a democracy that gives you the choice. 

Now, I'm off to read some manifesto's....I need to make a choice.