Finally ... after 30 years "in harness" as a Presiding Officerat Local, General and European Elections, I have stepped back from these somewhat onerous duties.
Unless Cameron and his motley crew are given the "bums rush"there are unlikely to be further polls of ANY description until the Scottish Independence Referendum
scheduled for Autumn of 2014
- by which time, I'll have [hopefully] attained my allotted span of three score years and ten!
Am I sorry?Am I buggery!
Admittedly, I've previously given readers the impression I actually enjoyed these experiences. And yes ... for the most part, I have ... the social interactionwas invariably a pleasure in itself.
But overall, though, who the hell, in their right mind, would relish the prospect of being tetheredto a makeshift desk, cooped up in a confined space - from 06.30 am till 10.30 pm - without being allowed to leave the building ... save for intermittent short walks along the corridor to answer the call of nature.
Lunch & Teabreaks?? Forget those!!
Sustenance is, therefore, totally reliant on furtive, snatched opportunities to make inroads on a seemingly endless pile of soggy sandwiches (gradually curling up at the edges, as if in defiance of their tupperware container) and/or pre-baked sausage rolls (that've grown cold!) washed down by endless cups of lukewarm tea or coffee from a Thermos flask?
So ... all in all ... glorious freedom ... !
Originally Posted by mickcant
And - truth be told - I've had absolutely no regret whatsoever, since "handing over the reins" to someone else ... not a bit. 
, Mari; it's kind of you to say so.
