The Election poster battle

I've just been doing a lot of travelling. And because of the volcanic ash situation I've been doing by it by train instead of flying, and before that by car. And there's an election on. So I've seen an awful lot of front windows and back gardens in the last week.

And what do you see in front windows and back gardens during election time? Posters and stickers. Some are diamond shaped, some are poster shaped, some are big banners, some on sticks, some on fences, but all serving the same purpose of saying "we support this party, vote for them".

And I have been keeping an eye out for them, from last week's travels through Hampshire (Tuesday), South Oxhey Hertfordshire (Weds), Harrogate (Friday), to Edinburgh to Inverness to Sutherland to Inverness then back home via Edinburgh, Carlisle, Birmingham, Bristol, home. And what have I seen?



A Lib Dem landslide. If the diamond shaped orange symbols on sticks mean anything at all, Britain (and Scotland) are going Clegg in a big way.

I have seen one or two SNP stickers, but vastly outnumbered by LibDem. I have seen Tory posters, but almost every one was the size of a small car and was attached to a gate or a haystack in the grounds of a farmer or wealthy landowner (which, let's remind them, adds up to just one vote. Probably two, if your wife's a) allowed to vote and b) doesn't vote LibDem).

I have not seen a single Labour poster, flyer, sticker, or thing-on-a-pole. Not one. I am a Labour voter and I am seriously considering sticking the LibDem diamond in my window because a) they bothered to post one, well three, through my door, and b) I live in Liam Fox's constituency and there is a serious likelihood that that corrupt and disgraced Tory could be ousted by a concerted tactical LibDem vote.

Liam Fox has shot himself in the foot with his election flyer, which we have had through the door. (Labour haven't even sent us a flyer, let alone the big sticker). Fox's photo is beside the slogan "Vote For Change". He has been the incumbent MP for 18 years. He might get change, and not the sort he was hoping for.

Kev F

PS: I have to confess to some hubris here. I booked a train ticket to get back from Inverness, secure in the knowledge that my plane would not be cancelled and I would get no refund for it. I now know both of my planes were officially cancelled so I'm into Easyjet to the tune of 92 quid. I'm like Basil Fawlty in that episode when he thinks he's won a bet on the horses, only to break a vase a few seconds later and... what I'm saying is I know the LibDems can't possibly win a general election, but just imagine if they did.