It's Right Then

So, we finally know which way the country is going. I've been surprised at just how low I've got today, considering that the result was hardly in any doubt. It's been a feeling of slowly sinking. It's like I've been holding on to this buoy of hope and, now it's been popped, all the air has been expelled. There's been nothing to keep me up.

Last night, after the first result and reality sunk in, I decided it might well be best if the Conservatives got a large majority. It was a reframing exercise that helped me to cope over the next few hours. The beer wasn't working. A good working majority would at least allow Johnson the luxury of not having to pander to the right of his party. He's now got to think about the fact of having a large number of MPs representing the less advantaged parts of the country. Right now, I don't want to prejudge anything. There's a case to be made that it's better to travel boldly in the wrong direction than be going endlessly around in circles, which was one possible outcome of this election. It was never going to be easy.

There's a responsibility now for those who voted for this government to hold them to account to be honest and come through with the one-nation conservatism they've promised. There are now five whole years for the progressive parties to get their act together. Is it too much to hope that they can form an alliance? Accept that our electoral system is broken, talk to each other, make compromises, and stand as one. The landscape is never going to look the same again. Parties of the left and centre have to embrace a whole new political geography. 

I wonder if Boris Johnson could have become Prime Minister without Donald Trump having first become President of the United States. Trump has normalised a contempt for truth that is spreading right around the world. It no longer seems to matter if our leaders lie and deceive and mislead us. That's the saddest thing of all for me. It sets a terribly dangerous precedent. You get elected by simply telling the electorate what they want to hear. Without fear of any consequences.

I left it until very late until going out. I had absolutely no inclination to do so. I went up the road and bumped into someone broken down at the roadside, waiting for the RAC to come and rescue her. Despite having got stranded and suffering a tough political night herself, she was the smiliest person I've met in weeks. It happens that she runs a little social enterprise that inspires people to grow, cook and eat healthy seasonal food (Season Well). As so often is the case, I found a stranger to lift my mood. And inspire me. Life goes on.

I'm expecting the next couple of weeks to be tough. I know the signs now. I may retreat a little into my shell. Forgive me. And thanks for all the supportive comments. I'm sorry I've not replied in the way that many deserved. I guess it's all written down here.