Eventually dropped off to sleep at 5.30 am, got up at 7.30. Labour took Grainley, would you believe it?

Far too hot to wear a coat, walked into town in my new coral shirt. Every five minutes kept remembering Labour now have 415 MPs and a 175 majority. Partners at work rather subdued, all being old Tories. I kept a low profile as I know it is not pleasant to lose elections.

Wandered round in a daze at lunchtime, partly lack of sleep, partly the sun blazing down out of a cloudless sky, mostly political amazement. I'd hoped for a 1964, I found myself caught up in a bigger majority than 1945 (30+ seats bigger). If I'd known that would happen, I'd've put up two posters. Also amazing is the Libs on 45 seats - it's a whole new political landscape.

Strolled home in a combination of happiness and beautiful weather unknown since the end of Sep. 1990. On the news, John Major came out of No.10 and went to see the Queen. The grey man finally did drive up the Mall and it was finally over.

Then the same car picked up Tony from Islington and took him to Buckingham Palace, then to Downing Street. He made a speech saying he would not let us down and then went inside.

Then Prescott and the rest arrived to be assigned jobs. I cannot convey how strange it was to hear, uttered in commonplace tones, 'Robin Cook is the new Foreign Secretary. Jack Straw is Home Secretary.' It was like an impossible dream, but it was really happening. Like the maps of Britain turning red that represented real votes.

And there was the complementary experience of seeing Kenneth Clarke loading his stuff into a hired van to take it away from the Chancellor's residence. As the newsreader pointed out, no more ministerial car

From the moment about 10.10 pm yesterday when Paxman asked Portillo about the exit poll, and while he was using the same words as he used to when he was confident, I could see he really was worried, we were seeing the Tories losing. For years and years they hang on and on, seemingly unassailable, till you despair of ever seeing the back of them, then - pfft - they've gone.

Left M a message asking if she was still worried, like she was in May 1992, that Labour would lose the election.

In the evening watched Porridge (1977 - previous Labour era); opened the champagne I bought as an act of faith yesterday.

Sing, all ye people of the Tower of Anor
For the realm of Sauron is ended forever
And his dark tower is thrown down.

Yes, 'tremendous and lightning-crowned, filling all the sky' the Tories were, then 'a great wind took' them.

Or, as some woman on R5 put 'I feel like one of the Munchkins when the witch melted'..

Saw Thatcher on the news. Gotcha! Fucking Gotcha!

It's the end of the Torycaust. It's a new era. It's a generational thing. It's a whole minute on the Rock'n'Roll Years. And the Labour victories are now 1945, 1950, 1964, 1966, 1974 (Oct) and 1997. And I voted for them. 'I made this'.

This has been one of those occasions when life says 'Congratulations. You win.' Doesn't happen all that often.

I have now commented on the subject at length.

Day 1848

It's all we had to. It's 2.42 am - with half the results in, projections are Lab 417, Con 157, Lib 55. It's a landslide, and I shall not forget this day, whatever comes after. Average swing is 9½% to Labour, 18% in some places.

Was up at 6 am, voted at 7am, quite a queue already. Made sure I was busy at work. Beautiful weather, calm, sunny, almost cloudless.

Got rather nervous in the evening, watched the election Blackadder III. My doubts were dispersed by the exit poll on the stroke of ten - 47-29-18. Sunderland South followed the pattern, swinging at 10.45 by 11% (2.4% last time). Labour's first gain was Edgbaston and they went on to win all sorts of unlikely places - Romford, Ilford, Basildon (sweet) to name but a few. The projected majority is about 185. That's fifteen more than Attlee's.

Tony Blair was obviously as pleased as I was. He will be Prime Minister. Well done Tony.

Large total of Liberal seats, as many as 1932 and Lloyd George. 55! It's double 23 and more. But Labour 420! I don't think they've ever had more than 400. They've just gained Finchley - who'd believe it?

Tory ministers have lost their seats left, right and centre. The Tories are now the Opposition and busy arguing among themselves.

This is fantastic. It's the Glorious Dawn. It's a victory on a bigger scale than 1945. It's a landslide and more, an earthquake, an asteroid impact. Bliss is it in this dawn to be alive. Well worth waiting for, and I've waited 18 years for this.

Michael Portillo has just lost his seat to Labour. It's unbelievable. I said not to tell me there's nothing coming. I heard the ghost train rumbling along the track to set them free. 'The train arriving at Platform 1 is the ghost train, ten years delayed.'

Martin Bell won Tatton. Taped the best results and analysis into blank bits on the 1987 election/Video Jukebox tape.

It's the end of 18 years of Toryism. It's really over. Nightmare on Downing Street - will it ever end? Yes. It has. We actually have stopped the bastards. I've been privileged to witness the biggest Labour victory ever.

It is the Glorious Dawn. It's here. At last.

Tony Benn mentioned campaigning in 1935 and 1945, and being at Labour headquarters when Attlee came back from Potsdam, and seeing the look on his face when he heard the result. Neil Kinnock said it was 'pure unalloyed joy'. It's a pity John Smith isn't here to see it, but Si monumentum requiris, circumspice.

The crowd was waiting outside the Festival Hall for Tony Blair to arrive and speak, which he's just done. A passing train driver blew his siren in support, to enormous cheers.

Day 1847

Beautiful day, very warm. Rather like the weather for the last election. Worked on the exchange positions batch form.

Came back, read Private Eye - before the election this time round. Watched the news, nothing unusual to report, Tony B. looking popular in Stockton. Carried on with The Pickwick Papers, which has been my lunchtime book for some time and merits evening reading too.

Quite tired now after this morning's hangover, and the last five years. As I've said before, if I must I'll wait another 5, 15 or bloody 50, but hopefully this time we will 'stop the bastards'. Polls are steady at 18 points, so even in the Armageddon scenario of them being as wrong as 1992, Labour should take a 3-point win. If there's any truth in them at all, any figure between 6 and 12 points seems likely. But only time will tell; polls open in 10 hours, close in 25 hours

I'm getting up at 6.30 to make sure I get to vote. It's all we can do now.

Day 1846

Made a very good impression at work by putting together emergency SQL to be faxed to the bank to sort out a prob, J being ill with some filthy lurgey.

Celebrated the reversal of ill fortune at work with a bottle of wine, but drew up a programme of activities for tomorrow night and E-Day evening to prevent repeats - I must be up early to vote on Thursday, and if, goddess forbid, things go wrong, I must not have a hangover on Friday. Similarly, I wouldn't want to have a headache in the Glorious Dawn either.

Listened to the rest of Modern Life. Sunday Sunday rather Madness-like.

Day 1845

Worked quite hard all day, me and K co-operating on parallel forms. Windy all day with squally rain in the afternoon. Got the missing Blur albums, Leisure and Modern Life Is Rubbish, for £9.99 each which isn't bad these days.

Got a bit down after tea, felt better after exercise and watching Tony Blair answering questions on the ITV 500. Getting very close now - 58 hours till the polls open, 73 till they close. Will it really work out this time?

Day 1844

Labour leads variously quoted at 17, 18 and 24 points. I still feel a result in the 6-10 point range is more likely. Went up to PC World in Dulchester for a printer cartridge, got Java in a Nutshell/.

M came round at eight, discussed Linux and the election.

Thought about taking Friday off, but decided the work situation wouldn't favour it and anyway, I'd waste a holiday day if I was tired from a sleepless election night.

Day 1843

Went out and got the shopping in the morning: noticed Liberal and Labour posters, and when I got home, I further noticed that that bloke up the road, a prison officer no less, did not only have a Labour poster on his house but on his car too.

This started a train of thought that led to getting the election prediction program out (the one I painstakingly typed the 1992 results into a while back) to calculate what might happen here. Eventually made up my mind and rang up the Labour campaign headquarters for a poster. One duly arrived about 20 minutes later, so I immediately displayed it. Hopefully it will influence last-minute waverers.

Actually gave Week Ending a listen, just in case we see the end of an era on Thursday. Very funny, with Major playing the Death of his political career at chess, then coin-tossing, then Cluedo, etc...

Read and finished Ursula's The Eye of the Heron - realised I've read it before, but still good.