If you haven’t already heard, the Tories are in. David Cameron managed to convince Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats to sell their souls to the devil and form a coalition with the Conservatives.

I think we all know how I feel about that.

I made an offhand comment on Twitter tonight, in which I said, “Making a t-shirt: I voted Lib Dem and all I got was this lousy Tory government.” People seemed to like this idea so I thought hell, I’ll actually make a t-shirt. With Noble Husband’s graphic design skills, we put a little something together for all of the other Lib Dem voters who feel betrayed and disappointed with this new ‘coalition’ government.

I voted Lib Dem by noble_savage
Create customized tee shirts using zazzle

Get yours here and wear it proudly angrily. And don’t say I never made you anything.

I haven’t ponied up the £800 needed to become a British citizen yet (things are a bit tight after I quit my job to become an at-home parent to my own two British citizens — cough) and so I will not be voting today because I’m not allowed. I sent off my husband’s postal ballot last week so at least I know he was able to exercise that right since he’s away on a business trip right now. All I can do now is watch, wait and hope that the British people don’t let the Conservatives back in. If you’re still on the fence about who to vote for, read this and this and particularly this. A little excerpt:

The Fawcett Society have today released the results of a survey of parliamentary candidates, including the party leaders,  asking whether they would support action on women’s inequality in their constituencies and nationally (1)

Of the 3 major parties 23.1 per cent of Labour candidates and 19.9 per cent of Lib Dems and 2.6 per cent of the Conservatives committed their support. (2)

Candidates were asked to say yes or no to whether they would support local and national action on tackling the gender pay gap, improving support for women rape victims and assessing the impact of deficit cutting proposals on women. Both Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg are amongst those candidates that answered yes to all three questions. David Cameron responded with the Tories policy position in the relevant areas ( 3)

The figures aren’t great for any of the parties but 2.6 per-fucking-cent?! You’ve got to be kidding me. As the Fawcett Society report notes, the support they were asked to commit was for pretty uncontroversial things like support for rape victims and equal pay. If the Tories aren’t even willing to come out in support of that, what else will we find they don’t support? I fear know that a Conservative government will roll back at least some of the gains we’ve made in the last decade and prevent gender equality from progressing any further.

If you care about women, children, education, the arts, community, health, the poor, the disadvantaged, the downtrodden and the vulnerable, remember whose interests the Tories really serve (rhymes with ‘schmorforations’) and the 97.4 per cent of them who refuse to support even such basic rights for women like rape crisis centres and pay audits to address the unconscionable epidemic of the gender pay gap (which is really a mother pay gap).

Come on, Britain. Speak up for those who, like me, have no voice and no choice in this election.  I am a proud, tax-paying immigrant. I am a woman who demands equality. I am a mother deserving of support and recognition as I help raise the next generation of British workers and pension contributors. I am a feminist who will always be there, breathing down the necks of those who cling to the last vestiges of white, male, Christian hegemony.

I may not be officially British, but I am Britain. I dare the Conservatives to tell me otherwise.

My daughter has been really into The Wizard of Oz lately. I’ve been into the UK election. So I thought, why not combine the two? And so I present:

The Candidates of Oz

Cast

Dorothy – Me

The Wizard – British Voters

The Tin Man – David Cameron

The Scarecrow – Gordon Brown

The Lion – Nick Clegg

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First up, the hollow-chested one :

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Next, the one whose head is stuffed with straw:

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And finally, the one who needs some courage:

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Photo credit

This video had made my weekend. Many thanks to Heather for sending me the link. The woman knows me well.

Ways in which I have become Anglicised:

• My preferred swear words are Bloody, Shite and Bollocks
• I can eat a sandwich with spread (butter) on it and not gag
• I pronounce the ‘T’ in words like ‘beautiful’, ‘Peter’ and ‘dirty’
• I love me a pint of bitter
• I go for a walk on Boxing Day no matter how miserable it is outside
• I can find a way to complain about the weather, even if it’s sunny
• I get a bit irate sometimes at how the Council spends my money
• If it snows, I don’t shovel my walk because no one else has
• When I’m ill, all I want is a cup of tea and my hot water bottle
• I eat jacket (baked) potatoes with tuna or cheesy beans on top
• I listen to BBC Radio whilst doing the washing up
• I use the word ‘whilst’
• I say ‘windscreen’, ‘boot’, and ‘indicate’ instead of ‘windshield’, ‘trunk’ and ‘signal’

Ways in which I am not Anglicised:

• I don’t mercilessly harass ginger (redhead) people
• I don’t constantly say “That’s so middle class”
• I hate brown sauce, Marmite and Branston’s pickle
• I refuse to consider hard sponge with marzipan on top to be “cake”
• I can say the word ‘bap’ and not giggle
• I will never believe anyone who says they had a proper cocktail at a pub
• It’s Santa, not Father Christmas
• I don’t believe that Halloween is just for devil-worshippers, criminals and Americans
• I refuse to consider the Sun, Daily Mail, Metro, etc.. “newspapers”
• I think British soaps (Corrie, Enders, et al) are absolutely rubbish
• Ditto for British dramas (not including period films)
• I still can’t get used to the teeth  I see on some people in television
• I don’t intentionally set out to get shit-faced when I drink
• Seafood on pizza is just wrong, as is sweetcorn
• I will never say ‘aluminium’ or ‘bonnet’. It’s aluminum and hood, damn it!
• I think Jeremy Clarkson is a national disease, not a national treasure