I fully cop to the fact that I'm...well, not a political geek, but a "way things work and seeing these things acted out in front of me" geek. So I've been in my element this last week. First voting, which I love to do, and then watching the results come in, which is always enjoyable, and then seeing the politicians and media handle the hung parliament, which was fascinating.
And in spite, or maybe because of, the coalition - although we don't know all the details yet, and I reserve the right to change my mind later this week - I'm glad I voted for the LibDems. I've been impressed with the way Nick Clegg has handled himself (although I was unimpressed by the fact that they had been having talks with Labour, that didn't sit well).
This has been my first real exposure to an election process here. Shortly after I moved here, Tony Blair resigned and Gordon Brown stepped in. I wasn't working at that point and I watched BBC news as they followed the new cabinet walking up Downing Street. The names were totally unfamiliar, the process was totally unfamiliar. Who were these people? Did I like them? Did I know what they stood for? What came next?
And slowly the names became familiar. Their policies and foibles and fights and tiffs became familiar. And suddenly I know what's going on. Kind of. I'm still only half guessing on a lot of it, and parliamentary politics is complicated, but it's nice to feel a little more a part of the country. It makes it a little more like home.
Which is a little sad in it's own way, because no matter how much I read News24 and the M&G, it's hard to stay on top of what's going on politically in SA. I do try, but I think so much of politics is context. Have I lost my context? That remains to be seen.
It all remains to be seen.
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