Excellent discussion @Slugger O'Toole

'Sapere aude'

But if I understand correctly, this is narrated from 2045, and the journalist is looking back on these events of his early days. I would tend to turn up the irony setting (narrator laughing at his former self); but that's probably because I'm writing a novel which uses the same retrospective narrator POV.

As for the subject matter, I love this stuff, as you know... not making any substantive comments on the politics because I don't have the detailed knowledge.

I'm in suspense as to how the coalition plays out... Labour has no obvious options at all. The SNP is off the table because Labour nailed its unionist colours to the mast (this is the most improbable element of your scenario of course, but very effective as satire on Starmer!), and the Liberals would surely, surely only form a Grand Coalition if proportional representation replaced FPTP, which Starmer clearly would never agree to...

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}

The greenhorn reporter in the narrative is aware of the general history, but not in any personal way. Enniskillen happened when he was barely born and he doesn't have family connections in NI. He arrives in 2024 to report on the general election from a mainly English perspective and isn't particularly invested in either side. He is only very gradually becoming aware of the passions and suffering beneath. I'm currently writing chapter 13, and some of that hurt is starting to bubble to the surface. I'm not sure how well he will deal with it because he has no experience of it other than some very different personal trauma. He is the very last person who should tell people how to feel, or that they should "get over it". In fact the narrative is starting to veer towards the personal tragedies and unresolved grief involved..

More unsolicited advice from a fellow budding novelist : It had occurred to me that you need your narrator to be more interesting in himself, I'm glad that you're working on that; but I might suggest that you inject a bit more colour and flesh into his personality in the early chapters, because readers like that.

Tragedy, romantic interest, something that will tie in later.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}