How late to bed?

I think that Labour are going to get a majority substantially less than the 132 seats the (remarkably consistent) final opinion polls suggest.

As a consequence, you can get surprisingly good odds against the Tories getting near 200 seats - one spread betting firm has their figure at 186 seats - if you 'buy' this and they get more, you make a fortune.

If I'd bothered opening an account (small pile of paperwork needed) then I'd be very very tempted. If I'd been really sensible, I would have opened one ages ago and put money on the LibDems getting more than 50 seats. They'd now need to get nearly 70 to make money, and I think that's about what will happen, though I'd love to be proved pessimistic on this.

So while the overall outcome may be as certain as it gets, there is interest and hence temptation to have another 'all night' watching session. It won't be as much fun as 1997 though.

No more Reg

Tragically www.bettridge.info is no longer with us. It's still registered to Reg, but the site seems to have vanished.

Someone (who's not declaring their affiliate status) is still paying google to advertise "Reg Bettridge - Low Prices & Big Selection. Register on ebay.co.uk!" though.

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As a sticker on the underground said, that's about your lifetime's supply of democracy.

Voting for me means a trip to Harrow West.

"That was quick" said the presiding officer, as I put the ballot paper in the box.

In part, it was because this time there were rather fewer marks to make - last time there was the London Assembly election with a form of PR, the mayoral election with a form of alternate vote and the European Parliamentary elections with a third voting system.

And in part, it was because I didn't want to think too hard about voting for the SoggyLibDem Chris Noyce, AKA uber wally.

Had Danny Finkelstein been standing for the Tories again, I'd have voted Labour, because I expect to wake up tomorrow to discover that the Tories have beaten Labour there and almost anyone would be better than Danny.

Oh the joys of trying to get the result you want with first past the post (or first to the post, according to the Now Show's comment on postal voting frauds...)