Some thoughts

First of all, let me say that my enquiries have confirmed that as far as is known Nigel Farage is doing well. He is in the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and is not only conscious but talking and, indeed, swearing fit to bust. He will be missing the count and that is enough to make anyone swear. The pilot of the plane seems to have been more seriously injured but is also comfortable and conscious. Things could have been worse.

As readers of this blog and of EUReferendum know, I do not share the Boss's vitriolic attitude to Mr Farage, despite the fact that I have known him for a lot longer. Indeed, I am responsible for recruiting him in what was then the Anti-Federalist League and he, in turn, is partially responsible for my speedy exit from the organization it then became: the UK Independence Party or UKIP. Anyway, this is just a preliminary to saying that I imagine we all wish Nigel and the pilot of the plane a speedy recovery.

Moving on to other events or non-events, I am finding it increasingly difficult to understand the hyperbole that surrounds this election. The media tells us in various ways that this is the most important election for Britain in its entire history; that the world will collapse into complete anarchy if we have a hung parliament; that the votes cast today will decide what the country will be like for generations to come.

Ahem, no. It is an election. This country has had many of them in its history and quite a few were more important than this one. Given the economic situation and the many lies the three main leaders have told us about what they will do when elected (spend more money and that will miraculously reduce the deficit) the likelihood is that the government elected today will be out on its ear very soon and possibly out for a very long time. That being so, it seems quite extraordinary to me that anybody wants to be a Prime Minister at this point. In fact, the explanation for the appalling campaigns we have been watching, particularly the Conservative one, may well be that, belatedly, all three leaders realized that they do not actually want to be in Number 10, having to take those inevitably painful decisions.

In any case, the real government stays in Brussels and we are not voting on it. It would appear that the less important the choice we are presented with the more hyperbole we are likely to hear.

As it happens I had another missive from my friend Dave the Boy-King. He is no longer offering me anything - no place in the government, no contract, nothing. I wonder what Mr Barroso has to say on the matter. Instead, the Boy-King is demanding that I vote for his party.

He tells me that if I vote Conservative today I shall get change tomorrow. Hmm, I didn't realize my Conservative candidate can wave a magic wand. Maybe the Boy-King is really the Sorcerer's Apprentice.

This one day will decide Britain's future at a crucial time for our economy, our society, and our politics.

We all know that it's time for change, after thirteen years of this Labour government. But there's only one way to bring change - and that is to vote Conservative.

Any other vote could mean we are left with another five years of Gordon Brown - and the uncertainty of a hung Parliament could kill the recovery.

Still no reference, I see, to the amount of politics that comes out of the EU and cannot be changed by the next government.

Nor am I too impressed by the bogeymen I am being threatened with. Either we get another five years of "Gordon Brown", actually a Labour government but it seems that the Conservatives still have not managed to learn the lesson that personal attacks on Brown do not work, or we have a hung parliament, which is unlikely to go on for five years.

Incidentally, the idea that a hung parliament will slow down recovery is tosh. Recovery will not come from parliament or politicians. What will have to come from them is essential and far-reaching cuts in the public services and it might be difficult to achieve them in a hung parliament where every vote needs endless negotiatons between parties (something that will become a permanent feature if we go over to any form or proportional representation). But then, the Conservatives are not talking about cuts, anyway. Far from it. They are promising to spend more of the money they will not have. So why not a hung parliament?