May 6th 2010 - the Aftermath

This post is going to either:

(a) appear worryingly prescient, or

(b) seem like the rantings of a conspiracy theorist

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There are reports from Ealing, from Chester, from Hackney, from Lewisham, from Leeds -- all over the major conurbations of the UK -- of people being intentionally disenfranchised of their right to vote.

In Ranmoor, an affluent suburb of Sheffield, voters are refusing to allow the dispatch of ballot boxes. As Sheffield Hallam is the constituency - and Nick Clegg the sitting MP - there are reports that he has gone to the polling place himself to apologise to people and try to reach resolution. For those of the electorate scoffing at Nick Cleggs' statesmanship - eat your words.

I am fearful, however, when I look at the conduct of Lord Voldemort and his cabal of Johnson, Harman, Millibands (plural), Darling and of course Brown. For a member of a Labour government who are - exit polls suggest - being metaphorically bent over and taking their punishment from the electorate - he looks remarkably relaxed.

Such relaxation can only be as a consequence of information asymmetry: the sort of information asymmetry which makes markets imperfect (and, perversely, makes them work effectively).

What might Voldemort know? I fear that there may well be evidence that will be well hidden until all voters who have cast their vote today are long since pushing up the daisies that Voldemort was in some way instrumental in this.

In short - a coup d'etat, the theft of democracy. Stalin is alleged to have said:

"it's not who votes that counts, it's who counts the votes"

So. What to do?

There are mutterings of former soldiers (including this one) about getting the tanks out, drawing personal weapons and taking back our country. How much I would love to do so. Climb back into my uniform, last worn some years ago, and lead a squadron like the old, retired officer that I am.

Were we to do this we would be Greece - and we're not. We need a civil uprising. We need to be Czechoslovakia in November 1989. The story of the Velvet Revolution has been used before as an example of how best to have a peaceful uprising.

As and when it comes to this - possibly as early as tomorrow - let's get ready to march. We will march on Millbank, we will march on Downing Street and if as with Thich Quang Duc (go look it up) - again, paraphrasing -

"it takes blood to resolve this, then please - take mine"

I hope that we wake up tomorrow morning to a new government, committed to the following objectives:

1. Reform of the polling process - bring us PR

2. Prosecution of the current Labour cabinet

3. Slashing of the deficit, a bonfire of the client state

If not, prepare for uprising. Who's going to be our Lech Walesa, our Vaclav Havel? Answers on a postcard, please.