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# Election mood - you can't polish a turd
- URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/election-mood-you-cant-polish-turd/
- Published: 2010-04-12T00:04:27.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-22T09:42:08.000Z
- Description: The UK election has a bad ordure. It may be the smell of a rotting system but could it also mean it is so far gone it can't come back to life?
- Author: Anthony Barnett
- Tags: Europe, #Migrated, Politics & activism, United Kingdom, Democracy and government, UK, #en, #Import 2026-04-09 15:45, #appended-excerpt

The UK election has a bad ordure. It may be the smell of a rotting system but could it mean it is so far gone it can't come back to life? There is a tremendous sense of dissatisfaction among the public. If a change of regime is on the way Cameron won't arrive with a Blairite sense of a "new dawn". That's how it feels - and that's why I'm working on spreading the idea of 'Hanging' the two main parties. More on this soon. As if to confirm the sense of the undead hanging over us [Paul Waugh of the London Evening Standard](http://waugh.standard.co.uk/2010/04/taxing-times-for-brown-at-innocent-smoothies.html?ref=opendemocracy.net) reported that Brown in the course of a photo-shoot had walked under a sign saying "You can't polish a turd". Apparently the smaller sign nearby added, "...but you can roll it in glitter". It would have been just as appropriate had David Cameron had been there. All of which creates a wonderful opportunity for Nick Clegg, who alas [told the Observer](http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/11/tight-election-win-social-chaos-nick-clegg?ref=opendemocracy.net) that he is "not campaigning for a hung parliament". However, he'd be happy if there was one. Let's see if we can oblige.

The UK election has a bad ordure. It may be the smell of a rotting system but could it also mean it is so far gone it can't come back to life?