Do You Know What's Happening In Three Weeks?

I'm not talking about the Belfast Marathon and the likely discomfort it will cause to the McCulloughs and everyone else; three weeks from today is the General Election.

Since I'm not sure of the political awareness or interest of this blog's readership - or even if this blog has a readership - I thought I'd fill you in a bit on what's going on and what might be the outcome of this election lark. So, here's the first in the series.

The Story So Far

Pundits are calling it the most unpredictable election in at least 20 years. At the moment, you will find absolutely no one who can say with any certainty who is going to win. There are a number of reasons for this. Mainly, it's because none of the three British parties have done a very good job of telling us what they're all about.

This is particularly true of David Cameron and the Conservatives, who should be miles in front and already picking out his furniture for Downing Street. But in the last six months his party have offered little in the way of substantive policy, and at times have struggled to explain the main differences between themselves and Labour, in terms of how they would approach things like health, Afghanistan, and cleaning up the expenses system at Westminster. Gordon Brown has basically been arguing that since his party have been in government for 13 years, they are the most experienced and able party to get the country out of recession; critics would point out that much of the damage to the economy was done when Brown was Chancellor, so why trust him and his party any longer? Nick Clegg is the awkward third wheel of the party leaders. His Liberal Democrats are not going to become the largest party, and again, in recent months you would struggle to say what they're about.

The expenses scandal of last summer, the economic woes, and the seeming lack of substantial difference between the two main parties has led to widespread voter apathy and frustration, and there are real concerns about the level of turnout robbing any eventual winner of real credibility.

Leaders' Debates

Tonight we have the first ever Prime Ministerial Debate, live on ITV. It will be the first in a series of three. Sky get next week's, and the BBC have the final one the week before the election. There has been much debate over this presidential-style debate and whether or not we need to have one. At first I'd have agreed with the critics and questioned the point of such an event - it could end up being style over substance, PR politics that everyone's so fed up with - but at least it gives us a chance to see if there really is any substantial difference between the three (or two if you forget Nick Clegg). So if you've nothing better to do, you may as well tune in and see for yourself what all the fuss is about.

I'd finish by reminding readers (and myself) that the best thing we can do in the coming weeks is to pray earnestly over this election. Whatever the outcome, we need to pray for mercy on our country, that a new government would turn us away from the unbibilcal, unethical laws that are being imposed on us, and that our Gosepl freedoms, which we take for granted, would be preserved for many years to come.

To keep up-to-date with the election coverage, check out the BBC's special website. The Times also has a great set of resources and info.