Election 2010: The morning after...

Well, Election 2010 has come and gone.  Unfortunately, the people of this electorate have decided to back a guy that looks like he should still be in high school (he's 20 for goodness sakes!), and the country has a hung parliament for the first time in 70 years.

There is talk about maybe having another-go-round, but seriously, if you wasted your vote the first time, why should you deserve another shot?  If they do decide to have another ballot it should be as simple as:

Which party do vote for

LABOUR   LIBERAL

tick a box

That way there would be no second guessing, no preferentials, no anything else.  It would be done and dusted.  Now, I'm not too fanatical about a faction.  I'm not a hard-core Labour follower, or a terminal Liberal.  All I want is a person who can do their job competently and look after the people in their electorate.  Is that too much to ask for?

I'm just worried that a 20 year old won't have the experience, knowledge or leadership to fulfill the job requirements.  How will he manage an office, as well as everything else?  Will people really listen to a kid?  There should be a minimum job requirement attached to these things.  Yes, you can toss your tiara into the ring if you've....
a) been working for a council for a minimum of ? years,
b) taken local government or political science courses, or
c) if you can demonstrate an excellent understanding of government and have demonstrated leadership qualities.

I don't know what the future holds (I wish), but I can tell you now that I'm not at all confident that this will have a happy ending.  Only time will tell, but keep you're fingers crossed for us... our future is in the hands of a 20 year old!

Searching...

Well.  It's been one of those weeks so far.  My desktop's new modem is acting up so I'm back on the laptop... God bless the laptop, and have decided that I'm not going to stress out about it.  Instead, I bought myself a copy of the newest offering by Nora Roberts, made myself a nest in my comfy bed, and blocked out the world for a few hours.

Okay, back again after checking what the postie had brought me.  Nothing of great interest.  We've be inundated with Election 2010 crap.  I can't wait for this Saturday.  We'll vote and then it'll be done except for the obligatory gloating by the winner.  Watching them on the campaign trail, during question time, etc., I just can't get over the fact that these back-biting, schoolyard taunting 'adults' - and I use the term adults loosely, are helping to shape this country.  If a high school student council meeting ran in the same way as our country's leaders run theirs, then we would have been repremanded and given a 'time out' by the teachers!

 

"It's been a few years since Fiona Bristow has moved to Orcas Island. Within the small, tight-knit island community she's built up her business, a canine rescue centre that trains dogs to track missing persons. Whether they are lonely travellers on a hiking trip gone wrong or disappearances of a more sinister nature, more than once Fiona has been the last hope for those lost in Washington's vast wilderness. Other than her work, Fiona doesn't ask for much: the peace of the landscape, the companionship of her dogs, the safe haven of friends and family. Romantic entanglements are very far down on her list - and certainly not with Simon Doyle, an artist newly arrived from the mainland. Impossible rude, and impossibly handsome, he suddenly seems to be around an awful lot. But he doesn't know that Fiona harbours a terrible secret, and as her past unexpectedly catches up with her, she has to decide whether past grief will keep her from ever loving again..."

Anyway, back to "The Search" by Nora Roberts.  This book is a little different from her usual fare.  Fiona, a leggy ex-athlete, is a dog trainer on small Island.  She is tough, smart, troubled and has a past that pops up to haunt her.  Simon on the other hand is a wood-artist who moves to Orcas Island from Seattle.  He's stubborn, arrogant, intelligent, driven, selfish.... I could go on.  They don't sizzle up the pages when they first meet, but are more reluctantly drawn to each other.  They are both proud people, who are able to stand alone and take care of themselves.

It took a little while to get used to these characters as they are more stand-offish to each other than other books by Ms Roberts, but there is just something compelling about them.  The baddie doesn't really get a look in, and seems to be for plot more than anything else.  It's not her absolute best work, but it's an enjoyable read with Fiona and Simon's characters drawing you into their story.  While not in Eve Dallas' league, I found it as enjoyable as "Black Hills", and looking back, the males in these stories are almost cut from the same mold.

If you're looking for a way to pass a few hours - or even days :D, then I would recommend this title.