Colour Theory

There's an article on the BBC news website today asking whether the weather will affect the outcome of the general election - apparently Labour voters don't go out in the rain or if there's something really good on telly in the evening.

I really enjoyed the leader's debates and H and I have read and discussed lots of the more serious aspects of the parties' campaigns but now we're definitely in the silly season of election coverage; the day when I will be extremely disappointed if the party candidates and leaders (and wives) are not colour coded (because clearly we would have no idea which one was the man who has been Prime Minister for the last three years unless he wore a red tie). On a vaguely related side note, I always felt sorry for Emma Nicholson, a Tory MP from the south west who crossed the floor to the Lib Dems when I was a teenager to much coverage on the local Spotlight news, and at least a week wearing a vibrant mustard jacket and skirt; it's not a kind colour to anyone but at least the guys can get away with just a tie.

Anyway in the spirit of election silly season, and having cast my vote first thing this morning, may I present the family Bear's guide to who will win:

- By the colour of our bath towels: Conservative (we switch between red and blue, sorry Nick Clegg)
- By supper: Hung parliament; Labour/Lib Dem coalition (it's chicken tacos with tomatoes and yellow pepper)
- By the sky: Hung parliament: Conservative with the support of the Lib Dems, although volcanic ash could produce a Labour fightback around sunset. It's grey today so perhaps this signals a return to a Major-esque government!
- By the jam: Conservative majority (four and a bit jars of blueberry and passion fruit - I was playing on the bank holiday.  There is a scrapping of lemon curd left, but no strawberry.  We still have a fairly full jar of marmalade but I don't know who gets orange - Scottish Nationalists perhaps)


- By the tulips (Option 1): Hung parliament; Lib Dem with Labour and Green Party support

- By the tulips (Option 2): Hung parliament: Conservative/Labour coalition with more Green Party support

- By our own colour coding: The end of the world with a slight Conservative influence (I'm wearing a black dress with my turquoise Ishbel scarf)
- By the baby: We asked what he or she thought about the parties and possible outcomes:
                     Conservative: small wiggle
                     Labour: kick
                     Lib Dem: wiggles
                     Hung parliament: small pause then lots of wiggling and two good kicks.

And as for the real outcome; let the waiting and counting begin.