In England, voters headed out for numerous local council seats and mayoral posts. However, the stakes were even higher in Scotland and Wales, where people were voting for the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd, respectively.
In my corner of the world, there were no elections, leaving me as an outside observer. Unfortunately, what I observed wasn't altogether pleasant.
What I saw was a landscape of division. It feels as though people are being driven by a rhetoric of "us vs. them." The rapid rise of Reform UK is, frankly, alarming to me, and I struggle to understand the shift toward them. One reason I avoid political posts is that they tend to invite endless arguments, and I’m just tired. It’s disheartening to find that people I once considered perfectly reasonable now view Nigel Farage as an "OK bloke," and the media coverage often feels incredibly one-sided.
The results in Scotland were somewhat predictable, though Reform still made gains there. The real nail-biter, however, was the Welsh Senedd vote. It was clear leading up to the election that Labour was set for a loss, but the big question was who would step into the vacuum. It turned into a high-stakes race between Plaid Cymru and Reform. I find it baffling that Reform was even a consideration for many Welsh voters, given their stance on specific Welsh issues. While Plaid Cymru was ultimately victorious, Reform came in a very close second, fundamentally changing the opposition.
Closer to home, Reform made significant inroads into Sheffield City Council and actually gained full control of Barnsley. All in all, it feels like a sad time for the country. I’m really struggling to make sense of it all.
Perhaps the most surreal part of the week was watching the total collapse of the Labour Party. For a party that has dominated places like Wales for over a century, seeing them crash into third place felt like witnessing a tectonic shift. They didn't just lose; they seemed to evaporate in their traditional heartlands, falling behind even the smaller parties in areas they’ve held for generations. It feels as though the old political certainties have completely dissolved, leaving a vacuum that is being filled by movements I find deeply unsettling. It’s no longer a 'two-party race'; it’s a fragmented, unpredictable landscape that feels more precarious by the day.
The most exhausting part of it all was how the media treated last week. By billing every local council seat and regional post as if it were a high-stakes General Election, they gave certain voices a massive stage to perform on, often at the expense of the actual local issues people care about. It felt less like a democratic exercise and more like a carefully produced drama, and I can’t help but feel that this constant spotlight only deepens the divisions I’m seeing. For now, I’m stepping back from the screen to find some peace, but it's hard to ignore that the landscape of our country has fundamentally shifted.
The spirit of the Urban Viking—and the occasional absurdity of navigating the modern world—lives on in my webcomic, Northman. 
You can read the latest chapter here:
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𝖂𝖊𝖑𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖊, 𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖛𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖗.
ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ, ꜱʜᴀʀᴇ ᴀ ᴛᴀʟᴇ, ᴏʀ ᴊᴏɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪꜱᴄᴜꜱꜱɪᴏɴ. ʟɪᴠᴇʟʏ ʙᴜᴛ ʀᴇꜱᴘᴇᴄᴛꜰᴜʟ ᴅᴇʙᴀᴛᴇ ɪꜱ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴡᴇʟᴄᴏᴍᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʜᴀʟʟ — ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴅꜱ ᴛʜᴇᴍꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ꜱʜᴀʀᴘ ᴍɪɴᴅ.
ʙᴜᴛ ᴍɪɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴀɴɴᴇʀꜱ: ᴀʙᴜꜱᴇ, ʀᴜᴅᴇɴᴇꜱꜱ, ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴘᴀᴍ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ꜱᴡɪꜰᴛʟʏ ᴄᴀꜱᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴅ, ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴀᴠᴇɴꜱ ᴡɪʟʟ ɪɢɴᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ.
ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴡɪꜱʜ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛ, ᴀ ꜱɪᴍᴘʟᴇ ᴇᴍᴏᴊɪ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴅᴏ — ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴀ ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴛ ɴᴏᴅ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇɴᴄʜᴇꜱ ɪꜱ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛᴇᴅ.
ɴᴏᴡ, ᴡᴀʀᴍ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟꜰ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴘᴇᴀᴋ ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪꜱʜ.