On Ballots and Roller Blinds.

I had a sudden thought last night: I’d half written a post about the General Election in the UK (which is taking place today) – a post about the absurdities, the disingenuity and sometimes rank dishonesty of politicians, and the pointlessness of having choices which will simply keep us playing the same misguided game on the same inadequate playing field. I deleted it because it occurred to me that I should stop making posts about political matters. It struck me that politics is all about the governance of human life at local, state, and international level, and I’ve never really felt that I belonged to the human species occupying this planet. Ergo, maybe I have no right to pass judgement on it because it’s none of my business.

But maybe it is, so we’ll see.

I did go and make a choice, though, at the polling station set up in the village hall a little way up the road. I won’t bother going into the reason why, except to say it had nothing to do with ‘doing my democratic duty.’ I hate that concept. Australia is welcome to it. (They do seem to like being weighed down by an overabundance of laws in Australia, but what would I know? It’s just an impression they project to somebody who’s never been there.)

I presented my driving licence (one is required to show photographic evidence of identity in order to vote these days) and said to the young woman at the desk: ‘There you go – proof positive that I’m even uglier than you think I am.’ She pretended to disagree, but only half heartedly, and then a man gave me a ballot paper and all was for the best in the best of all possible worlds.

The only interesting thing which happened today was that I cut and fitted a new roller blind to my kitchen window. It took an hour and a half and looks splendid. Aren’t I clever?