Oh, the anticipation

To begin with a bit of admin, the Our Scotland Election Night thread is now up, and David Farrer of Freedom and Whisky may well be hanging around online at points tonight. Even if he isn't posting, he's always well worth a read.

Bill has published his election kit. I overate this morning so as to spend the afternoon largely comatose (I needn't have bothered - I normally do anyway), and I have my own election kit. Mine is different as 1) I am teetotal and 2) I am trailer trash. Anyway, I have a bottle of Shloer (white) in the fridge. I am partial to Shloer and the only reason I don't sip on it of a Friday evening is that by drinking that and watching Ugly Betty at the same time, I would be only an operation away from womanhood. I rather enjoy being a man, so that is out. I also have a bottle of Pepsi, with all its caffeine-laden, sugary goodness to induce a state of hyperactivity that should see me through till morning. I have a bag of co-operative Sea Salt and Chardonnay Vinegar crisps (or something like that) to generate thirst (and so encourage consumption of the beverages) and a packet of Cadbury's Snaps. That's just because I haven't had chocolate today. If I'm still flagging, I shall go into the kitchen and eat the kilo of sugar that is in one of the cupboards.

Anyway, one of the big questions tonight is, 'What is the BBC's Election theme tune going to be?' I like the normal one: it conveys a sense of drama and importance, and has been in use for long enough to be a part of the election experience. Though I have a horrible feeling that it's now done on keyboards and played at an ever-higher pitch, making it shrill. Despite that, it still has the right qualities for the night: as a composition, it makes you stop what you're doing and pay attention.

In fact, there was a time when the BBC stopped using it, and opted for a piece that was better suited to some god-awful daytime programme that would doubtless be presented by Alan Titchmarsh and Nadia Sawalha. Or Eamonn Holmes and Fern Britton. But not David Dimbleby. This was during a period when no one noticed elections anyway, so no harm was done. Now that they have got interesting again, the BBC have (rightly) switched back.

The music is also superior to the opus on STV's programmes, which sounds like a section of a film where the heroine is being stalked by a murderous pervert. The addition of what sounds like heavy breathing to the composition doesn't help that image.

So the BBC, if they stick with the classic, are doing the right thing. All together now: da-dada da-dada da-daaaaaaaa (ba-ba-ba-bum) da da-daa da-daaaaa da-da-da-da-daaaaa (ba-ba-ba ba-ba-ba-bum)... and so on.