More election day news. posted by Richard Seymour

You'll be wanting clues, then, some material to help with your psephological divinations - anything, in fact, to distract from the ceaseless drivel from the perfumed commentariat on the Beeb and ITV. The fat Northern comic on Channel Five isn't going to help much.

I'll tell you what I know. I got to one of the polling stations off Cable Street at 10am, and was greeted by a couple of people giving out leaflets for Respect. There were a pair of Labour tellers, one on either entrance. One of them was a mad old geezer who kept accusing us of 'intimidating' voters - apparently, pointing leaflets at people is some form of intimidation. It struck me immediately as a sign of desparation, and the turn of events did not disappoint in that regard. Most people who turned up to vote were friendly to Respect, taking leaflets and giving the odd knowing wink. Many, many people cheered us on, and I can't say that the Labour tellers (despite surreptitiously advising people on who to vote from well within the illegal fifteen metres of the gate) got anything like that enthusiasm.

Okay, Chris Mullin has just taken Sunderland South on a reduced majority. The BNP vote was worrying at just over a thousand, and I fear it will prove to be one of their lower votes of the evening. Bigger swing to Lib Dems & Tories than anything else, though.

With my rosette on, I took off for lunch after a few hours of shaking hands, grinning and mouthing a few obsequies. I took a stroll about town, walking through Shadwell and so on. Quite randomly, people would shout 'Respect' at me - which under other circumstances would have me running for the station. Five kids standing outside a shop accosted me, took the piss a bit, then asked for a leaflet. They asked me if Galloway hadn't, in fact, supported the war on Afghanistan. I was temporarily befuddled - "er, well, I dunno, I don't think -", "well, you should know, you're in his party!" Good point, I thought. "Don't be silly," I said. "You're assuming that because Galloway was a member of the Labour party which prosecuted the war that he actually supported it." Shrugs. They were repeating some disinformation from an Islamist group, of course. One of them mentioned that he would vote Liberal if he were old enough. "The Liberals!" I expostulated. "The first thing they would do is flood the streets with more police. 10,000 extra coppers, their leaflets say! You don't need that shit." Vigorous nodding. A bit more discussion about the threat of the BNP - to which, an interesting response: "If they come round here, we will kill them." Good, I thought. Self-defense is no offense.

Got back to the polling station, and the turnout was still bumbling along in its slow way, if much quieter than before. The Liberal Democrats had sent a lone leafleter down - but he neither had the energy for it, nor could he match the rapport Respect people had with locals. I heard feedback from Stepney and elsewhere that the turnout had been much higher at other parts of the constituency, and that Respect was doing solidly. I also heard that it was very very close overall.

Look, having campaigned for the Socialist Alliance, I have experienced enough disappointment to cool it when I have to. So I'm cooling it. Lower expectations. Realistically, it's up in the air. There are so many variables, it is hard to tell what will happen. In a close vote, the recent spate of apparent fraud could potentially have an impact. Similarly, how motivated are people to come out and vote for us? Did a lot of people stay at home? At my station, it looked like they did, although elsewhere it was busier.

So, I'm cooling it. George Galloway's going to walk all over that Blairite - no, no!! Cool, analytical, calm. That fucking warmongering idiot is going to be counting her votes on one hand - no, no, no!! Keep it in check. A lot can happen.

Meanwhile, the exit polls suggest that the Liberal Democrats are not doing as well as they might have hoped, while the Tories are doing better than they had any right to expect. It's been a long time since exit polls in this country were anything other than indicative - that is, indicative of the fact that there's a pack of lying bastards in this country. However, they generally lie in the other direction, with Tory voters pretending to vote Labour, because they know they're arseholes.

Keeping my eye out for Reg Keys, Rose Gentle, Craig Murray and, of course, the loveable scruff Brian Haw who is standing in my own constituency on a Peace candidacy. His van was plugging insensibly round the estates here earlier, with rainbow flags a-fluttering, tannoy booming and peace signs aloft. Later.