Tired and emotional

 An election is my Super Bowl. 

If you didn’t watch the results coming in then you will probably be fresh and perky today and may be waking up to discover that we have a Labour government that the SNP lost at least 37 seats (none to the conservatives) and that Reform came second in many seats. You will have missed the Portillo moments, where Gove, Rees-Mogg, Penny Mordant, Gillian Keegan (and many more) lost their seats. You will have also missed the telling moments where Labour was sent a clear message on Palestine by constituencies with a large Muslim population with Jon Ashworth losing his seat and the Pro-Palestine candidate in Chingford regretting her decision and apologising to the Labour candidate when she realised that she had helped IDS keep his seat.

I found the evening very emotional. 

I had a moment when Neil Kinnock was on the BBC. I still have a soft spot for him.  He provided me with some of the best quotes of the night. When they were recounting Basildon and Billericay for the third time he said, “ The only recount I ever experienced gave my mother in law chickens.”

His glee when George Galloway lost was infectious. “He’s repulsive. Galloway is repulsive. I’m so pleased”

Robert Buckland was cross. “My party will be like a bald man arguing over a comb”

And Nigel Farrage set himself a simple task.

“I will do my absolute best to put Clacton on the map,” but went onto threaten, “This is the first step of something that will stun all of you.”

Laura Keunsberg described him.

“Nigel Farrage has never knowingly walked past a microphone.”

Clive Myrie showed us his snacks and made me laugh when the Conservative party chair won his seat by just 20 votes.

“Dreadful sound there, Basildon. It’s only just down the road.”

Rishi conceded defeat and Keir Starmer talked about sunrise.

And I missed my Dad. 

He would have loved this and he would have been tired and emotional, not in the way I am but in the old use of the phrase, which was  used by Private Eye in his day to describe MPGeorge Brown. 

If there’s an afterlife, I hope he’s watching and having a beer or two to celebrate.