Thursday, May 6, 2010

The Election

I'm sitting here, flipping between the BBC and The Guardian online, hoping against hope that Cameron and the Conservatives lose. He is a very dangerous man, drawing on oily charm, fears about the economy that are more global than national and resentment against immigration to win power. I fear if he wins, education, health, training and the poor and middle classes will suffer, while the rich will get richer. Alas, as my mother so often notes, people cannot remember what it was like to live in England under a Conservative government and may find that they really don't like what they get. I'm hoping that somehow a Labour or Lib-Lab coilition will result, but commentators are pessimistic about their prospects.

While I miss the cameraderie of watching results with friends, at least the timing is more civilized. No waiting until 4-5 am for a sense of what's going on.

In other news, I tore my Belda trench. We had the windows open because it was so hot. As I left my apartment, a cross draft caused the door to slam while it also blew my coat into the lock. As a result there are now three small (around 1 inch) tears and a couple of oil smudges. I'm going to have to pay to get it repaired and cleaned just as I need to wear it over a rainy weekend.

4 comments:

joyce said...

Oh no, Moya! I'm so sorry to hear about your Belda. I hate it when things like that happen.

I've also been nervously monitoring the election results. I studied Thatcherism for a while, and I hope against hope that isn't the road the British are going down once again.

Moya said...

Me too. I am old enough to remember Thatcherism and it was a horrible, repressive regime. I never understand why people can't understand that the public sectors--education, social services, health--also stimulate the economy, create real jobs and benefit everybody. Cutting back in a recession only makes a bad economy worse and leads to economic stagnation for the vast majority.

As for Belda, I am hoping she can be repaired. She'll never be the same again, alas, but the damage is on the side I carry a bag. I'm trying not to let it distress me too much!

Marti said...

Moya that is the worst. I suggest Madame Paulette? They can clean/repair ANYTHING.

Moya said...

I just wonder if Madame Paulette will cost me more than I paid for the coat! Cindy knows a really good tailor/cleaner in Philly, so I may ship it down there if my cleaner can't do anything. It was one of those freak accidents that could happen at any time. I just wish I'd worn a jacket instead...