I hope everybody is familiar with the old saying about the other boot dropping? It is about when the bloke upstairs disturbs you at night when he removes his boots. You hear the thud as the first one hits the floor above you and can’t relax because you know the second one is going to follow it.
Anyway, that is how I have been feeling during this election campaign. Somehow it always works out the same in local elections: lots of normal members give up a lot of their time drafting leaflets, getting them printed, and then gonig out delivering them and knocking on doors. After several weeks of this, and right before polling day, the national party does something totally bloody stupid that almost seems designed to negate all that work.
The expenses row doesn’t really count: that has been rumbling on for a while now. I have been waiting to see exactly how Westminster would sabotage us this time round and and can now stop holding my breath.  This year’s sand in the gearbox is in the form of ministerial resignations that should have happened previously – but since they didn’t could have been postponed by just a week to make our lives a little easier.
Is it any wonder that it is so hard to whip up enthusiasm in party members these days?
But we live in hope… so I’ve already voted which means I can spend the evening worrying if everyone else did. Or hoping…
Well 7 ministers resigned – the first government ever not to control a county council – an 18% swing to the Tories – in 3rd or 4th place in most areas..
Not a good day – looks like the sooner Alan Johnson takes over the better.