Liveblogging the election

Mr Eugenides, along with one or two others, is doing it.

This small contribution, on the other hand, would perhaps be better described as half-dead blogging the election.

Here's how it looks to me so far:

Alex Salmond looks smug.

Perhaps he shouldn't because while there has, from what we can gather, a swing to the SNP - early indications are that it might not be as large as the polls predicted. About 65 in the seats counted so far. Is that enough for them to win? Dunno.

Jack McConnell, who's just retained his Motherwell and Wishaw seat, looks uncomfortable and tired - as if exhausted from having to put on one of those politician's rictus-like grins on all day.

Douglas Alexander looks like his sister.

Tommy Sheridan looks orange.

His prediction of the evening was that the [hard] left vote would be split between the SSP and Solidarity.

No shit, Nostradamus.

Actually, there may be signs that the former SSP vote is going to the SNP.

Pauline McNeil, despite holding Glasgow Kelvin for Labour, looks pissed the fuck off. She should lighten up, in my view.

The turnout so far looks pretty dismal - although this might be down to the high number of spoilt ballot papers.

The Greens look like doing well.

Henry McLeish is on the telly and he just looks exactly the same. What's with that hair?

Charlie Kennedy's on the telly. It may be my imagination but he looks a bit pissed.

Not that there's anything wrong with that; I'm a bit inebriated myself.

Looks like there's been a lot of spoilt ballot papers - nearly a ten-fold increase on last time - probably down to the fact that someone had the bright idea of running two different forms of PR at the same time, and for the same time.

Annabel Goldie, the leader of the Scottish Tories, looks cheerful and optimistic. For no good reason, as far as I can tell.

Bill Butler's held my own constituency, Glasgow Anniesland, for Labour. The swing to SNP is 4.4%. It's too early to say and I'm not good enough with the arithmetic but I'm not sure the nationalists have done enough. Has Salmond done a Kinnock? It'll need to wait 'til ra morra.

Update: Fuck! No he hasn't. Fish-boy's going to be First Minister.

I'll close with this from the comments:

the people get the government they deserve, but I don't remember kicking that many puppies.