Local elections

[smokingboot]

Out the night before last on a fundraiser for the local parade, which is in just under a month's time. We all sat there and drank while the music played, and the poor old tory councillor came over and sat with us.

I don't quite know how the single transferable vote works here, it seems very complicated. He is not hated or despised for his party, but neither does he get the votes; as his next door neighbour said, 'he's a friend, I was a bridesmaid at his wedding, but I don't agree with his politics.' There are four places up for grabs, and they don't think he'll get one again. He seems to have got in by some kind of fluke last time. He didn't do the door to door thing, because apparently he saw no point in taking all that abuse, when those 'clowns in Westminster,' to quote him, made his position almost untenable. And he got drunk with us, laughing and joking, doubtless trying not to think about it.

The outright winner was the Labour candidate, as everyone thought it would be, because frankly, he appears to be the ward's go-to guy for anything. Everyone relies on Harry, everyone calls on him; I have a comedy sketch of him in my head, where he opens a cupboard door and the entire community falls out and lands on him demanding help. I haven't heard a bad words against him anywhere. The SNP rep was next, but quite far behind.

A friend of mine stood as a Lib Dem counsellor candidate in a Welsh ward. This guy has charisma, it's his home town, he's very smart, I'd have been surprised if he didn't make it, and sure enough he's smiling this morning. My guess is that he'll go further and do a lot of good. Some people are just made for this!

One hopeful aspect of these elections is the emergence of Sinn Fein as the largest party at Stormont. I'm not saying this will lead to re-unification but it could pave the way, and a unified Ireland untroubled by its neighbours and at peace with itself could have a great future. Having said that, I would not be surprised at the re-emergence of paramilitary loons, for the DUP has dodgy friends and is nuts at heart.

Meanwhile BJ will not leave and the sh*tshow has years to run yet. This, while terrible for Britain, at least gives him room to damn himself further. In a land less befuddled, the sheer quantity of lies alone, never mind the thousands of Covid deaths, the millions of tax pounds handed out to buddies, the Russian connections, would be enough, but that's not how we do. Vanity's the issue here, and not just Johnson's though he's a monster of egotism. There's also the vanity of voters duped or just greedy, wanting not to face either of those conclusions. And so it goes on.

But for Charles, our local tory councillor, the crazy days are done.