Darrell K Morris - Professional Photographer based in London, UK

Well, I don’t know how we got from this Election (maybe) becoming the Best Election Ever (in modern history anyway) but this is where we are and I have to say I feel immensely dispirited by it all. For all the talk of a hung parliament, this was probably something I hadn’t seriously contemplated and I’m sure there are many out there with left leaning political views (and Liberal Democrat voters) who will be feeling equally dispirited by this situation. Just over three weeks ago (after the first debate) I was excitedly espousing about the chance of the country ending up at this election as a three-way fight and pushing along the notion that Nick Clegg could become a spearhead for political change. But, this wasn’t just me (and many other bloggers and dispirited former Labour voters) hoping for a bit of change. Even, what is left of the Liberal press here in the U.K. were getting all flustered by Cleggmania and The Guardian even went as far to mimic the Obama Hope poster, replacing the POTUS with a Liberal leader half the country hadn’t even heard of a week before and I still wonder what Clegg actually did to get  The Guardian to endorse them. Which brings me to the important question if the Guardian’s editor Alan Rusbridger can get it wrong on the political side, how about his glowing endorsement of new Apple Ipad? Am I to take him by his word once more and end up disappointed?

I certainly wouldn’t want to use this post to say - I told you so. I for one was seduced enough for a (very short time) to have the Clegg/Obama poster as an avatar on Facebook. But, by time I found out that Clegg’s Liberal credentials were tainted by his interview with The Spectator where he paid tribute to Thatcher’s crushing of the Unions (though no mention of the many miners who lost their livelihoods) and on points where he believed he could ‘work with Cameron’ on certain issues, my suspicions had been raised. No amount of photo ops with his lovely wife, or slightly creepily his now doppelganger Colin Firth who has always come across as something of a stereotypical wishy-washy Liberal could change my mind. If beforehand I had seen that Annie Lennox had been campaigning with him too, I think I would have publicly endorsed anyone NOT to vote Lib Dem. When I finally went to bed on Election night, after a sudden surge of Tory gains, feeling I would be waking to Cameron doing his Thatcher ’79 acceptance speech outside No10, I was pleasantly surprised to find Supreme Leader Broon was still hanging on (as I had dreamt he was having to be prised from clinging onto the front door). Surely, Nick couldn’t let an opportunity to maybe even head a progressive coalition Government? But, sadly he didn’t…

Instead, he was seduced by Cameron’s overtures which despite the early push for ‘progressive’ bills (ie ID Cards, Heathrow) I am still immensely sceptical about it. For all the posturing for a ‘New Politics’ which seems a bit too close to New Labour and looks more like a nod to populism, instead of any genuine ideology, which seems to really make Cameron and Clegg a match made in heaven. What became apparent from the final two debates was a closer link between the two of them as they went along the more you saw Brown truly believing what he was saying ,despite being at the heart of the New Labour machine for over a decade, the old social reformer seemed to be coming to the fore. While Camegg, Morecambe and Wise, Ant and Dec, Jeeves and Wooster call them what you will, seemed to be fine when they were ‘On message’ and come across as the perfect political salesman for a brighter, better future for you. But, both of them seem to be no more than a marketing teams wet dream. Where is the passion, conviction and more importantly ideology from these two? Now we have a political landscape that is so crowded at it’s centre with leaders who seem to be scared to give any real opinion for fear of scaring the general public or maybe more importantly after this election cycle upsetting the right-wing press. So, for now we have a partnership between two ineffectual public school boys who seem to be bereft of any ideology or true political beliefs. And if the Labour Party decides to go with David Milliband I would be fear for mainstream politics in this country. Things Can Only Get Better – still seems so apt, but maybe we should change it to something a little bit more M-O-R.