Had enough of the election? Planning an early night in the knowledge that Tony Blair, like him or loathe him, will be back in the morning with a smaller majority? Well, think again. On the ground the battle between the parties has been keenly fought. The electorate is volatile. Today's election is the most unpredictable since 1992 - so television viewers tonight can look forward to some dramatic moments.

Labour has enjoyed a comfortable lead in opinion polls while support for the Conservative party has been stuck in the low 30s, pretty much where it has been for 10 years. But pollsters believe that up to one-third of voters were prepared to change their minds at the last minute. Many could lodge a protest vote over the Iraq war; tactical voting could this time turn in the Tories' favour; and all three main parties also agree that this campaign has a strong local flavour, meaning that issues and personalities in specific constituencies could prove decisive.