So there’s a General Election in two months…does anyone care?

So Gordon Brown has finally penned in 6^th of May as the date for the next General Election – or, if you prefer to be cynical, the end of Labour’s promising but ultimately stuttering reign. I say this because it almost seems a certainty now that come May, David Cameron will be our new Prime Minister. And it’s not because he’s hugely charismatic or possesses a wealth of exhilarating new ideas and policies. No, it’s because the British public have quite simply had enough of Labour’s drivel and crave some sort of a change. Although change is said with the tongue firmly in the cheek.

And herein lies the problem with British politics these days. EVERYTHING IS THE BLOODY SAME. The three main parties are so anxious about losing votes that to propose any sort of policy that strays too far from what the others have pledged would be considered political suicide. No one sticks to principles anymore. The Conservatives are no longer the right wing toffs us lefty students love to hate – they’re simply a reworking of Labour with a few environmental policies thrown in. Even my supported party, the Lib Dems, have joined this middle ground bandwagon. The British political scale is getting so crowded in the middle that it’s beginning to sag and bulge.

We no longer have the parties fighting their claimed corners. No Labour pledging for socialist rights and no Conservatives standing up for traditional Tory values. Every party just wants that media friendly leader who knows how to say the right things at the right time to get the masses on their side. Gordon Brown – dull. David Cameron – tiresome. Nick Clegg – dreary. There are no characters left in British politics. No charismatic leaders who will stir a crowd into a passionate frenzy or drive them to a chorus of boos and hisses.

I watched a program the other day which highlighted how in the 1950s, hundreds of people would turn up to political rallies to question the leader of the party in question directly – often resulting in heated debates. This no longer occurs – we are all too happy sitting on our sofas watching them spout out the same middle ground nonsense to us on television.

No wonder voter turnout is so low. And no wonder the BNP are gaining votes. The disenchanted and frustrated are turning towards this extreme right wing clap trap because they see it as the only real alternative in these ruthless economic times. Nick Griffin and his cronies are the only party that are not afraid to speak their mind – and unfortunately some sections of British society like that.

Quite simply, British politics needs an overhaul. There is no point offering change if it is simply a repackaging of what was once sold to us before in the past.

Personally, I will be unenthusiastically casting my vote on the 6^th of May in what will be one of the most uninspiring general elections for a very long time.

AND IN OTHER NEWS – NO MORE DRINK FOR ME.

Whilst the election campaigns hot up or, for want of a better phrase, creak slowly into life, I have decided to give up alcohol. For four weeks. Easy for most people but when you are a bordering alcoholic like me, this will be a challenge of monumental proportions.

I will go to clubs and bars realizing how over rated some of these places are and how appalling the music is. I will have to overcome my self - consciousness in these places by actually working on my confidence instead of reaching for a beer. I will have to learn to dance properly, instead of simply wriggling like a worm trying to escape a hole, in a bid to show that I’m vaguely attractive to the opposite sex. I will no longer believe I am the life of the party. I can no longer down my wine and post outrageous statuses on Facebook whilst on a dreaded downer. These are all things I will have to overcome.

On a more positive note, I will save a huge amount of money. My health, both mentally and physically, will improve significantly.

This is a challenge that I WILL complete. And if I complete it, I will consider extending it to 5 weeks. Then possibly 6 weeks and so on.

Wish me luck.