One General Election …. a heap of strategies to pull off an all nighter….. and a new definition in growing old.

 I have voted in 14 General Elections and countless local ones along with some referendums.

Keith Bradley and some of the election team. June, 1987

And tonight, I am pondering on whether to accept the challenge and stay up to see the election end “by the dawn's early light”.

Actually, if my memory serves me right, almost half were seen out in a club booked for the purpose and open till there was no one left to buy a drink.

And in that memorable night when Labour first won the Manchester Withington seat in 1987 we followed the milkman home.

But the nights of euphoric victories were matched with those dismal ones when as the seats were declared you knew you had lost. 

Labour Party Poster, 1945

To these can be added those BBC exit polls which on the stroke of 10 declared a fail, leaving the assembled party to stare at each other leave their drinks and stumble into the night looking for a taxi and the oblivion of sleep.

And so it has been with the last three, when with the confirmation that it ain’t gone well  I haven’t even bothered to watch a moment of election news.

To this can be added that obvious reflection that staying up late at 74 is a challenge.

Polling Station, St Clements Road, Chorlton, 2022

But maybe tonight will be different, for even while I remain a tad hesitant at the plethora of opinion polls predicting a Labour victory there does seem something in the air.

Well we shall see.

But I will read the piece on BBC News “How to pull off an election all-nighter” as my guide if I should take up the challenge.*

After all anyone interested in the past should show a keen interest in watching a possible change which will go down in history.

Location; our setee

Picture; Keith Bradley and some of the election team. June, 1987, from the Manchester Evening News, Labour party Poster, 1945, Polling Station, St Clements Road, Chorlton, 2022

*How to pull off an election all-nighter, BBC News, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c047gr9mgxxo