So today we go to the polls.  Finally.  It has felt like a long-time coming.

I’d say that I am a political animal and the machinations have been fun to watch, but the inevitable descent into negative campaigning is also depressing.  It seems to happen earlier and earlier with each election campaign.  That said, it now seems we are heading for a hung parliament – it’s going to be fun watching one party or other furiously back-pedalling their way towards a coalition with those they slagged off as entirely untrustworthy just days before.

Our politics should be based far more on consensus and cooperation, and frankly anything which allows our MPs to vote more with their consciences and the representation of their constituents has got to be a good thing. The media keeps telling us that the man in the street is disillusioned with politicians and maybe that is true but I believe it’s the parties which are the problem.  The parties have become all together too powerful and it’s been at the expense of proper debate in parliament, and the kind of consensus which is only possible if MP’s affiliation is far more loose.  Is it too idealistic to think that our representatives should decide based on local views and needs and through persuasive argument rather than the whip?