My polling card came this morning.... guess that means I get to vote.

The clatter of the letterbox is normally greeted with excitement here in the clock tower. Normally, it means that yet something else ordered from one of those online CD/DVD/book retailers that people who like to shop shouldn't be allowed access to has arrived.

This morning, however, all those here at the clock tower received our little cards telling us that we were on the 'Register of Electors 2010'.

Eager to know what the 'Z' next to one's name meant, we flipped the card over.

As it turns out, I'm quite happy to be a 'Z'.

After pondering why on earth European Union citizens should be entitled to vote in this country, one noticed this little sentence:

"...City Council Elections take place on 6th May 2010. All new applications to vote at these elections and any other election taking place on the same day... The next Parliamentary General Election must take place by 3rd June."

Now, we recently had a by-election in these parts and our polling cards arrived about three weeks before polling day.

So, we're just trying to guess whether Westminster know something we don't.

They can't really have normally expected people to keep this A5 card safe until 6th May, could they?

How many will lose them long before then?

And will we be expected to trundle along to a church hall beforehand?

And why do they send us to a church hall anyway?

As someone whose religious sensitivities do not normally take them anywhere near a church, that one always irritates.

Anyway, this is one blogger now willing, ready, able and equipped to vote for the party we believe in. Shame so many others in the country - 35% - are willing to do the nonsense tribal vote, irrespective of the ongoing pain they'll suffer as a result.