Into the unknown

For all the scrabbling around to find the light switch, it is clear that the next 72 hours will be no like other in British politics.

We are potentially on the cusp of a very dark chapter in the book of British democracy, with parties that prey on hate and prejudice eyeing electoral gains across the country.

Expenses gate has rightly upset, hurt, bewildered and angered the general public and those MPs who have behaved properly and in some cases taken thrift to a new level. Yet how are the BNP, Greens, UKIP and the other smaller parties going to be able to rectify this situation?

Enforced repatriation, exiting the European Union, pitting class against class, deunionising Britain or any of the other policies offered by these smaller parties are not an answer to the challenges of our time. They belong in the history books.

It is all very well to finger point and play the blame game but our electorate deserve better.

We are facing nothing less than a “Red Riding Hood” moment in Britain’s democratic journey. If the smaller parties are able to worm their way into the House of decency, liberty, tolerance and fairness that will be something from which we cannot recover.

The question for every single voter on Thursday is this: is it better to vote for the candidate who can actually change things or vote for the candidate who talks about change but can’t find the word in the dictionary?