Long Boring Politics Blog (as promised)

I imagine my newer friends see me as a slightly eccentric English person, but to my older friends I'm Meryl who wanted to be the prime minister of England. Yes that truly was my ambition as a young teenager. I only remember having two ambitions as a child, first was to be a dinosaur (as I have mentioned previously in this blog) and the second was to run the country. I got really into politics at school, I wasn't exactly a top student, but when I got the opportunity to take a politics class I was lucky enough to have one of the most inspirational teachers I'd ever experience take a shine to me. Miss J was one of those teachers who didn't listen to staff room gossip and specifically told us her class would be a clean slate kind of moment. Because of this I jumped right into it, and the more I learn't about the way the country was run, the more I wanted to know.

I started reading the newspaper everyday, and having long boring conversations with my dad about where I thought the country was heading, and slowly but surely I started to believe I could do a better job of it. The Iraq war happened and thus I was convinced that the only way we could move forward was for Tony Blair to be removed from office and me put in his place as the herald leader I imagined myself to be. I was 16, I really thought I knew best.

Moving onwards, politics is still a passion of mine, and although things got very interesting in Canada when the Liberals and the NDP were going to overthrow the government, the whole proroguing of parliament for months really put a damper on my politic spirit. Just in time to perk me up politics in England goes a little bonkers. In a whirlwind of decisions, Gordon Brown steps down as leader of the Labour party, the Tories grab 97 extra seats and the Lib Dems are the most powerful people in the city.

See in England there is no minority government, it is a First Past the Post system, and although I could debate it for hours, I like this better than the Canadian one. So long story short England now has a coalition government, with the Lib Dems and the Conservatives joining forces in the final hour. To me this is a little like dipping cheese into ketchup, it's not that disgusting but it certainly isn't a natural combo. Labour would have been a more natural choice for the Lib Dems, there just seems to be a more common thread of rationality running through the two parties, but Gordon Brown just didn't win over the British public, and if Susan Boyle is anything to go by it's popularity that counts.

It's Gordon Brown I feel sorry for, he stepped down in a last ditch attempt to woo the Lib Dems and in a very Britain's Got Talent type way they gave him three XXXs. It's been thirteen years since England has seen a Torie PM, and now we have one who looks like he has a bed time regiment to keep his skin smooth. Not that smooth skin is a bad thing, it's just I like the prime minister to look a little hassled, he should after all be constantly worried about what to do for his country.

It has been quite a week, and I have loved every second of it, now I get to familiarize myself with the new Cabinet and the whose who of a brand spanking new coalition government. It will be an interesting year politically for sure. There is nothing like a close election to pull a country together, when water cooler conversation turns from Coronation Street to Downing Street you know you have the country's attention. It reminds us that we do make a difference, and we do have a say, even if it is a little one.

Alright lovely readers, I'm done I promise. I still have no computer, and I still haven't got to watch the new episode of Doctor Who. I did watch lost yesterday and it was good, really good. Still no closer to having any idea what is going to happen, but it certainly answered questions they had set up right at the beginning of episode 1. Got to admire good writing.

Top Model Finale Tonight - GO TEAM RAINA

peace and love always

Meryl x xx