The End is Nigh...

Today, I did something I can't say I've done ever before. I had a long and very interesting conversation with a Conservative District Councillor. He said, for me, what might be the defining statement of this entire election. He said that "This might be a good election to lose!"

He also told me, quite matter of factly, that he had no intention of voting for his own party next Thursday and his reasons weren't because he felt Camerwrong and Snooty will drive the country into the ground; far from it. He doesn't want the Tories to get in because he firmly believes, like some economists, that we're heading for 4 years of hell. "Whoever gets in is likely never to govern ever again, because they will be blamed. People have short memories." Blamed? For what?

This District Councillor believes that we're heading for another recession; that we're not going to get out of the current one before we're hit with an even harder one, that affects considerably more people than the last one. "£60billion is the cost of two British armies and that's what whoever gets in has to cut from budgets to pay off our debts. There's bugger all left to cut." Surprising words from a Tory and I said as much. "Ah, but we can't ignore the big picture; if we do that then we'll all go to hell in a hand basket."

Tories don't think that way. Especially not mid 50s Tories living in rural Northamptonshire. He felt the only thing that could work was if we had a hung parliament, then no one would get the blame for the coming storm.

He wasn't the most positive of people I've met recently and that is surprising as he supports and represents a party that are looking more and more likely to win a small majority on the 6th. Maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing after all; if Armageddon is on its way like this councillor seemed to think it was...