Darrell K Morris - Professional Photographer based in London, UK

Best British election ever? As the clock slowly turned around to the 6th of April and the inevitable was finally announced, many bookmakers would have given you some pretty generous odds on the statement above. And the opening days of the campaign saw an apparent  apathy from the politicians themselves, that has been mirrored by the nation over the last few years of this Parliament. Even the manifesto launches seemed so low-key, that you wondered if the party leaders had cobbled together a few half-arsed idea’s on the back of a fag packet as the landlord shouted ‘Last Orders’. What mainstream politics seems to now lack alongside any real idealism and policy, is also a complete lack of confidence in what you are talking about. It wasn’t until we at least got to meet the chancellors and the words ‘Hung Parliament’ was used for the hundredth time, that I finally started to take any notice.

As a self-confessed political junkie, this was an extremely bad sign and I still was struggling to get excited even by the ever narrowing opinion polls. But, after a whole host of scandals from moats and duck ponds to the woeful rise of the BNP, through the local and European election system, British politics had left me jaded and questioning where my vote would go? And coming off being completely immersed in an wonderfully dramatic U.S. election, which took in an enduring eleven month campaign (minus a short summer recess). I wondered if Broon, Lord Snooty and Whats-His-Face could sustain my interest for a fortnight, let alone an entire month? But, Hey call me a hopeless romantic if you will and I don’t really mind if you do. But, the Clegg Factor and the subsequent (at present sustained) Lib Dem poll surge and the now very real factor that a hung Parliament could become reality has awoken me to this election. Don’t get me wrong, the old adage – A week is a long time in politics – Rings even truer during election campaigns and possibly the Lib Dems have peaked too early and years from now we will look at one another slightly shamefaced, that we were getting so excited about a party leader who’s main selling points are to look and sound like a human being, the ability to debate with one hand in his pocket and tut loudly when he doesn’t agree with something Broon or Snooty says. Clegg as our very own Obama, is something we’ll have to wait and see and for now just enjoy having that brilliant Shepard Fairey inspired Guardian poster hanging over the mantelpiece, front window etc…

But, what of the parties and their intentions. For Labour surely just holding on to what is left of their shattered reputation and a modicum of power seems to be the ambition. Whatever happens, I hope we have finally got to the stage where we can put the New Labour experiment firmly behind us. Recently, seeing an old Newsnight interview from 1997 I was shocked to see Blair back in full demonic mode and eager to please, but with just a hint of the disdain, he sadly showed to all during his appearance at the Iraq inquiry. It showed me how desperate we must have felt for a change of government back then (at any cost). For the Tories, see Labour circa 1997 and their willingness to try and appeal to all through their ‘Big Society’ rings hollow. A return to power seems scary to me and the addition of the most recent campaign poster, fills me with dread. Like a Doctor Who Christmas Day episode, I envision the moment David Dimbleby announces a Tory victory, every  Tory MP will rip off their face to expose a Thatcher clone, that will make a planet full of cloned versions of John Simm’s The Master look like something of a relief. For the Lib Dems, the excitement comes from the rather exotic notion that they are the mysterious party we know little of (unless you read a broadsheet) and we have only just discovered who their leader is and hey, what have we got too lose…? Can they finally go from stereotypical protest vote and by-election favourites to serious contenders? Sadly, the usual elements of our Great British press are wishing to pour scorn on the (possible) Lib Dem breakthrough. After, endlessly banging on about electoral reform and clearing out parliament, the Sun, Mail and Telegraph have now thrown a strop over a party, that could break the Lab/Con monopoly. This was always likely to be the case (unless the breakthrough party was UKIP) as the Lib Dems having nothing to offer an insular and narrow-minded editorial at any of these papers. They simply don’t make good copy for they’re policies, which is why we’ll see some pretty spurious and lurid headlines over the next two weeks (Clegg’s Nazi Slur, anyone?) Which, surely gives us the opportunity to actually take away the influence of the main parties at this election and the mainstream media that keeps these institutions in their place.

The real excitement surely comes from the hope, that the country might finally be turning from a two to a three-party state. As much as we go on about American politics being polarised by a left and right spilt, we are in the very same situation and the first-past-the-post system gives us an equally narrow political system heavily in favour of either red and blue. I personally hope that we do have a hung Parliament. If on May 7th we wake up (or in my case, stagger around after an hours sleep in 48) to a new political dawn, where a major overall of our political and parliamentary system is required, I’d be more than happy, even if it’s just to piss off the Tories and their sense of entitlement to rule over us, once more. But, more importantly we finally have a third party that can make significant gains nationally and finally have their voice heard across the country through parliament and the mainstream press. In the immortal words of David Steele – Lib Dems, Go back to you’re constituencies and prepare for Government. With two weeks to go, Who Knows…?