It was election day in the UK yesterday. I am not someone who likes arguments a lot, I try to avoid them when possible. However, I love political debate. In my exam yesterday, and at the university radio awards tonight, I turned everything (including the colour of my tie) in to a party political.
It is understandable that in a house of 4 students, we all vote different ways. Three different political parties.
But what I love even more is that even in my family politics divides us (in a good way): I am probably the most Eurosceptic in the household. I may lean towards UKIP views but would never vote for them – I don’t like Farage and don’t entirely agree with him or his tactics.
I reckon Mum probably votes the same way as I do (even if she isn’t as Eurosceptic as I am), and while I can’t be sure exactly which party he’d pick, Dad is certainly NOT Conservative. The look on his face when he realised I was a member of the party was comical.
Who says a political divide in the family isn’t good? It certainly doesn’t do us any harm at all!
I write about this now because, after 3 years at uni, I have become a lot more politically aware. It was towards the end of my first year when I decided to join the Conservatives, and it’s in the two years since that my political views have evolved, to the point that I would not consider voting for any other party. I identify with the Conservatives.
I stayed up in to the early hours of the morning last night, watching the elections results coming in. I camped in the sitting room until about 1am, and after becoming aware that I was falling asleep then being woken up by my own snoring, I decided it would be best if I were to relocate to my bedroom, and watch the election results from my bed – with my laptop on the shelf at the end of my bed.
I’ll be doing something similar on Sunday night, when the Euro-elections results come in. I apologise in advance to my housemates if I sound like some sort of football supporter when the South West England & Gibraltar result comes in. If the Conservatives get at least three seats, I will probably jump up and shout like a football supporter whose team has just scored.
In this region, we send 6 MEPs to Brussels. My prediction is that the Conservatives will get 3, and UKIP will get 3. It could maybe be the case that the Conservatives will lose a seat and get just 2, with UKIP getting 4. I hope I’m wrong.
While talking to my lecturer at the Radio Production awards at uni this evening, we both agreed (despite being the complete opposite politically) that something needs to be done about UKIP. I doubt anything will come of it – but I told him I might write to the Prime Minister to ask him what he’s going to do to sort out the UKIP problem.
I’d very much like to see a Conservative majority in 2015 – I do not want Ed Miliband at Number 10! Dealing with the UKIP issue would, in my eyes, solve a lot of problems.
And with that, I’m going to cook dinner, then go to bed.
Good night.
