Election, Wales, and PSB

I must admit that I didn't set off from Chorley this morning feeling elated by participating in the democratic process. A couple of months of campaigning has - unexpectedly and almost unbelievably - restored my faith in Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party (excepting the parts that are busy sulking) but in my neck of the woods, it's Tory or LibDem. 

In direct contrast to Corbyn and Labour, my faith in and support for our local MP and leader of the LibDems, Tim Farron, has been in a spiralling decline for some time now. If I had to put it in a sentence, how do I support someone whose Christianity tells him gay sex is a sin but bombing Syria is OK? Still, it's him or the Tories so there you go; a big cross for Tim.

After that there was a little bit of working from home and then a drive south to pick up the Minx for our trip to Ebbw Vale to see the launch of the new Public Service Broadcasting album. We decided to avoid the M6 and travel down by the A roads, which was pleasant enough, if somewhat marred by the proliferation of Tory posters. 

Still, in the face of an apparent and unavoidable Tory landslide, there was not much to do except chat, avoid the radio, and enjoy the beautiful Welsh countryside, all the way to the Premier Inn where we were staying. Then we cracked open a bottle of wine and had a couple of glasses while we got ready for the gig.

There were only 200 tickets available for this launch show - plus, I think, another hundred or so available to the residents of Ebbw Vale - and it was only down to the Minx's witchy powers with online booking that we got tickets at all. And I was bloody delighted to be here, drinking PSB ale, and enjoying the obviously (but enjoyable) local support band.

And PSB themselves were characteristically amazing, They feel to me that they've absolutely hit their stride now, the biggest change being that front man, J. Willgoose Esq, now chats directly with the audience and even sang one song (a duet). The new material was great and satisfying the-same-but-different while the established hits filled me with the same delight that they always do, 

And, really, that should have been the high point of the day but, as we emerged at 10pm (curfewed, I guess), I looked at my phone and saw the "shock exit polls", showing just how well Labour had done. I was so overwhelmed, so delighted, that I started telling other people exiting the gig, all of whom shared my happiness: word spread like wildfire. 

So rather than going back to our room, the Minx and I went to the bar next to the hotel so we could, in a very companionable way, look at our phones and digest the papers, and Facebook, and Twitter, and all of the relief and excitement and optimism. 

As it happened, there was a chap sat on his own at the next table and we invited him to join us, and he turned out to be a friendly and interesting, so when the bar stopped serving, I went and fetched some wine and beer from our room for us all to enjoy. Later on, it turned out that he was the photographer for PSB, so we had a very enjoyable hour taking about the band whilst enjoying the political mayhem, which was so very preferable to May gaining a 90 seat landslide. 

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-8.3kgs 
No words