It is 1:30 am tomorrow there and only about 10% of the election has been determined in the UK. This is great. No polls are announced in a riding until all are ready to be announced. Also, all candidates are on the stand as the official responsible for each riding reads out the votes for each in alphabetical order. Further, of course, is the unchallengable truth of a pencil and a piece of paper over the "voting machine". Despite all that important stuff, in my heart of hearts, as we watch BBC World (the best three bucks a month a Canadian TV viewer can spend) I am really only hoping to catch a glimpse of a Monster Loonie candidate or two. We love the mad Loonie hereabouts.
Elsewhere, up in the rarified are of the big parties, it may be turning out to be close to a minority but you can bet by 6:00 am local UK time we will all know for certain if that is so and by exactly how much it will be so. Pencil and paper is a great mechanism to ask 50 million a question.
Comments
Marian - May 6, 2005 3:39 pm
I'm fond of BBC World too. We listen to RFI/BBC on the radio. It's great stuff. I'm with you on the voting machines too.
NYCO - May 6, 2005 3:51 pm
Oh! I only watch British election coverage for the Loonies. There is always a Loonie in Sedgefield (well, a real Loonie, not just the loonie that is the prime minister) I thought I saw not one, but three wackies on stage with Tony last night.
Erik Sorenson - May 6, 2005 4:37 pm
Big deal about holding back election results. They don't have four and a half time zones to contend with.
Alan - May 6, 2005 4:41 pm
It would not really touch on that as all ridings are all delayed about the same amount - about 4 or 6 hours - though a few straggers are still outstanding now over 24 hours after the polls closed. Practically, it would cause a really really late night, though for Maritimer Canadians who were election nerds waiting until dawn for the BC riding to report only after all polls were in.
Ben - May 6, 2005 5:22 pm
Do we really want to sacrifice the accuracy of the count just to know a few hours faster?
That is apparently the choice we have made in North America, especially in the United States. I don't understand it. Are we all such children? Sometimes I think that the people need a collective slap in the face with an admontion: "we'll finish when we finish."
Pencil and paper, hand count. Save the ballots; have a hand recount if the results are close.
Easy as pie.
Alan - May 6, 2005 5:30 pm
Pie...mmmm....pie is good...Ben must be right...pie...mmm....