The DUP?! WTF May!?!

I slept through election night (well, actually I played Crusader Kings 2 until God Awful O'Clock, at which point exhaustion overcame stress) and only just woke up. Having nerved myself to look at the election results, my reaction was pretty much along John McEnroe "Jesus Christ! You Cannot Be Serious! You Can Not Be Serious!!!" lines

Now I can understand the desperation to stay in power on May's part, but the DUP? Seriously?

To give non-UK readers some context: the DUP are anti-gay-rights, anti-abortion, anti-Catholic, the closest thing the UK has to US hardline, religious Republicans (and remember, the UK as a whole is well to the left of the US, so really, really out there). They attack Corbyn for links with the IRA, but were themselves linked to the worst of the Protestant Paramilitaries. And now they're in power, and can threaten to take their ball home any time Theresa May does something they don't like. 

The Usual Suspect

Presiding officer at polling station: "You're the one who raised the issue last year with the double doors being too narrow for wheelchairs if only one is open, aren't you? I did raise it, but now someone's stuck a sign on the other one saying 'do not open this door'".

OTOH they did fix* the issue with one of the inner double doors before I'd finished voting. It was propped open with a large armchair, which meant I had to slalom around it and come at the doorway from an awkward angle, which would have blocked a power chair or mobility scooter if it could get past the outer door. And the presiding officer walked out with me to be sure I could get out this time - last year I could get in but not out as the differing approach angles ran me into the door frame one way but not the other, this year I have a slightly narrower chair.

*By propping both doors open with large armchairs {Le Sigh}.

It sort of illustrates the problems with polling station access. The building is a school, and my guess is the left-hand outer door is broken, so rather than fix it, they just keep it bolted shut because kids and able-bodied teachers can get through the right-hand one without issue. But a polling station has to be accessible to a lot more people, some of whom will be using mobility aids that are too wide for the single door. I can report the problem to the Electoral Registration Officer until the cows come home, but he can't actually make the school fix the issue.

I suspect the school is generally fairly clueless on access issues. There are two kerb cuts onto the paving in front of the doors, one is half-blocked by a large planter at the top....