I agree with Nick

"I agree with Nick" probably has to be one of the most memorable phrases to come out of this year's election campaign - spoken by Gordon Brown during the first of the televised debates. The TV debates were a first for this country, and rather shook things up in an interesting way, as Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader (oh! ha! I just typed Demoncrat - I really did!) came out of them rather better than expected, making the election a three-horse-race (as they say) and raising a strong possibility of a 'hung parliament'. Whoever 'wins', they will be sure that more people didn't vote for them than did. Such a strange system!

By the time you read this, it may well be clear what the new shape of government in the UK is to be. As for me, I agree with Nick (well, he's the dishiest of the three anyway!) but unfortunately in this constituency that won't get me very far. Shipley is traditionally a Tory seat, though by no means as strongly so now as it used to be.

Whatever happens, I am just so grateful that I can potter along to vote in the local Methodist church hall (shown above) - a modest building, staffed by helpful and smiley people. The young Labour activist outside was courteous when he asked me for my registration number. There were no armed guards, no need for purple-inked fingertips, no suspicious packages or car bombs reported anywhere (as at 6pm Thursday anyway!). The UKIP leader was almost killed in a plane crash - but it seems to have been caused by a tangled banner rather than anything more sinister. I thank God that I live in a democracy like this, even if it does look a bit wonky sometimes.