They're off!

Well, that's what we needed to hear. No more phoney election, just one month of campaigning, and then the vote. Can I get in my plea quick, viz that you look at http://www.mnd2010.org/, which is the MND Association's push to persuade the next government to adopt a National Strategy for MND. 'A National Strategy will ensure people with MND receive high quality care and support from the NHS and social services, no matter where they live in the country. Help us raise the awareness of MND with those people who have the political power to make a difference.'


Having seen the 'chancellors' debate' a week ago, the parties don't seem to have much room for manoeuvre on the economic front, but there are quite a number of other important issues. Especially for those with faith, but not only, there's another site worth looking at, Christian Concern for our Nation http://www.ccfon.org/view.php?id=1043, which flags them up. Old habits die hard, and so I'm not likely to be using this blog as a party campaigning medium. I enjoyed, however, an interview with the 77-year old Michael Heseltine yesterday by Jim Naughtie about news coverage of political campaigns. He said in effect, 'You (journalists) try to elicit a gaffe first thing in the morning (eg. on the Today programme), and then you run it as the main news story throughout the day...' (and, thought I, you concoct it in the case of the Archbishop). And being a wily campaigner, he refused to be drawn on his divergent opinion on Europe from the main Tory line. 

And yesterday there was another Cambridge victory, when Emmanuel College trounced Oxford's St John's, in University Challenge! In terms of the boat race Oxford would have been at Hammersmith Bridge when Cambridge were finishing. I tried not to gloat, though I did join in the admiration of geekish Alex Guttenplan who seemed to combine a compendious general knowledge, lightning intellect with a disarming willingness to say, 'We don't know.' I imagine he'll end up a professor. I suspect the General Election will be somewhat closer, but this year's Oxford/Cambridge clashes augur well for the outcome...!