I watched my first general election at the age of 9.  Whilst my family was not overtly political there was a general acceptance that politics mattered and a general election was a big deal.  It was because of this mum told us all take bedding, mattresses and pillows down stairs.  I suppose as a child doing something so out of the ordinary it didn’t really matter if you were interested in politics or not, it was fun and exciting but as it happened I loved politics.  The year was 1987.  Out of all the things that happened that year this was the thing I remembered most.  Not the kidnapping of Terry Waite or Arsenal winning the football league for the first time in their history but the Election of a conservative government with Margaret Thatcher at the helm for a third consecutive victory.

Growing up in a small mining town in North East Derbyshire this mattered.  My family weren’t really working class but I lived in a community where mining had been its life blood.

On Thursday 11th of June I stayed up I think the latest I had ever stayed up.  It  was long enough to see Roy Jenkins defeated by George Galloway in Glasgow Hillhead.  As a child I didn’t really know much about Roy Jenkins but I knew he was important.  I must have fallen asleep around 1am probably for the best after all it was a school night.