Following that election, all I can say, is: I wasn’t expecting that.
When I left work at 5 o’ clock on Thursday evening, I was expecting a hung Parliament, but had no clue who the perceived ‘winner’ would be. The exit poll surprised me, and the final result… I didn’t see it coming at all.
I spent Thursday night in to Friday morning back in the Radio Production rooms at uni, returning to Tone Radio to help out with the ‘Alternative’ Election Night coverage. Basically, an excuse to stay up all night and watch the new, then debate the results with a bunch of students.
Some interesting things were happening during the night, but they got even more interesting after we’d locked up.
It was while I was driving home at about 05:15 on Friday morning that the exit poll was revised to put the Conservatives 1 seat short of a majority. Even at that stage of the night, no one was predicting an outright majority.
I am really rather pleased with the final result. It not only puts Cameron back in Number 10, but also gives Cheltenham its first Conservative MP since 1992.
I was also pleased to see Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative) re-elected. He has been MP for the Cotswolds since a few months before I was born. The Cotswolds result was delcared while the Conservatives were 1 short of a majority, giving the Cameron the outright majority he needed.
I reached voting age after the last general election. My first vote was in the AV referendum in 2011, in which I voted against a change to the voting system.
Since then I have voted Conservative in all the local and European elections; and when I voted in a General Election for the first time this week, I voted Conservative.
And here’s why I voted Conservative…
- Thanks to the Conservatives, employment has gone up, and there are more job opportunities out there.
- The Conservatives have promised a referendum on EU membership. I want my say on Europe.
- Locally, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has a good track record. Why change what doesn’t need fixing?
I don’t agree with everything the Conservatives say or do – does anyone agree with everything any party does? The reason I’ve become a Conservative voter, is that I identify most with the Tory party. I also feel that this country is better off with Cameron inside Number 10, than it would have been with Red Ed in power.
Now we know the result, I shall be interested to see who Cameron brings in to his new cabinet.
I shall be watching the news closely over the next few days.
Bye for now.
FH.