The silly season is underway in the UK, as Prime Minister Gordon Brown has asked for a dissolution of Parliament paving the way for the election to be held on May the 6th. Of course, over the course of the next month or so, we here at the Cigar will bring you updated poll numbers, random thoughts and craziness from what, to me as a huge poli-sci dork, is the Second Greatest Show On Earth! (India does it better, I'm afraid...)
Anyway, the 2010 UK Elections are officially underway and it's shaping up to be one of the most hard fought elections in decades. Although Labour is fighting for a fourth consecutive term, they're also fighting voter fatigue and the idea that the time for a change has finally come. However good that may be for the Tories, it's still not clear at this point whether the British electorate is entirely sold on bringing them back to power yet- and of course, lurking in the background, hoping to make some noise and maybe even be kingmakers in the event of a hung Parliament are my homies, the Liberal Democrats.
4/6/10 Polls:
Conservatives: 41%
Labour: 31%
Liberal Democrats: 18%
Others: 10%
The Swingometer: I love the Swingometer! In fact, I just love all the wacky features and gadgets the BBC throws up for the election- but the Swingometer measures just how much of a swing in voter preferences the parties need to either hold their own, get a majority or avoid a hung Parliament. Right now, the Tories need a whopping 7% swing to get a majority of 6. Tall order right now... (though to be fair, the Liberal Democrats need a 19% swing from Labour to get a majority of anything. Similiar swing for them against the Tories leaves Labour with a majority of like 5. Ick.)
Well, it's ON, baby! Let's get ready to, well, if not rumble, then probably bore and irritate the British electorate for four weeks!
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