ELECTIONS don't change anything, say those disenchanted with politics, so why bother voting?

Those people will have had their views confirmed by the results of last night's ballot.

The political landscape today looks much the same as it did yesterday, both nationally and locally.

Tony Blair is still in Number 10 - albeit with a substantially reduced majority - while MPs from Hereford to Worcester and all points in between are heaving sighs of relief as they realise they will be returning to Westminster after all.

But the lack of any great upheaval is not an argument against showing up at the polling station.

Those who put their crosses on the ballot papers last night had the power to completely change the face of modern Britain.

They could have put Charles Kennedy in Downing Street. They could have handed Worcester's Guildhall to the Greens.

In fact, they chose not to, but that's the beauty of a General Election - everything is up for grabs.

Opinion polls may provide a clue to the result, but those politicians sweating in town halls and school gyms up and down the country didn't really know how things would turn out last night.

They had to wait, tense and tired, until the ballot boxes were tipped on to the tables and the votes - your votes - were counted.

Things may look pretty much the same today, but your vote did make a difference.