Well hung
Looks like we have ourselves a hung parliament, then. What last night’s results signify depend on who you’re asking: the Tories will claim that the nation has decisively rejected Brown as leader (as indeed the Sun does this morning), but Labour can rightly point to D-Cam’s failure to gain an overall majority, a quite spectacular one considering the polls a year or so ago, the longevity of the present government and the current state of the country.
As for the Lib Dems... well, putting a positive spin on things is going to be awfully difficult. Still comfortably stuck in third place, probably with fewer MPs than before, many will blame the first past the post system for their current plight but that doesn’t fully explain how they have failed to capitalize on the goodwill gained by Clegg’s debate performances. Clearly all the people who were considering switching the “yellow vote” ended up not doing so, perhaps they were briefly caught up in the novelty of the moment before being ultimately convinced by the major organs of the press to stick with one of the two main parties.
It’s an unfair and oppressive system for any other party to be stuck in, but this election has surely been a huge opportunity missed for Team Clegg. Meanwhile, Brown is well within his rights to forge a Lib-Lab coalition government, but with the weight of the Murdoch media and general tide of opinion against him it would be a surprise denoument. The man has still never won an election to be PM, and indeed the commentators noted the air of resignation in his voice even as he delivered his victory speech at his constituency. History tends to prove that governments go in cycles and I’ve been resigned to it being the Tories’ turn to have a go for a long while now. Looks like Cameron will shortly become The Man. Let the swingeing cuts commence! (Why are cuts always “swingeing” when nothing else ever is?
A final note on the OUTRAGE and SCANDAL of people being denied the chance to vote. Now, of course where the powers that be have made administrative errors that is A Bad Thing. However, ultimately if you’re unsure of your ability to get to a polling station within a 15-hour window - opening times clearly stated on your polling card - then you had ample opportunity to arrange a postal or even a proxy vote. I have very little sympathy with the likes of that appalling woman the BBC gave free reign to last night, who apparently drove by three times but didn’t like the size of the queue. Voters like to bang on about politicians facing up to their responsibilities - this equally applies to us too.
As for the Lib Dems... well, putting a positive spin on things is going to be awfully difficult. Still comfortably stuck in third place, probably with fewer MPs than before, many will blame the first past the post system for their current plight but that doesn’t fully explain how they have failed to capitalize on the goodwill gained by Clegg’s debate performances. Clearly all the people who were considering switching the “yellow vote” ended up not doing so, perhaps they were briefly caught up in the novelty of the moment before being ultimately convinced by the major organs of the press to stick with one of the two main parties.
It’s an unfair and oppressive system for any other party to be stuck in, but this election has surely been a huge opportunity missed for Team Clegg. Meanwhile, Brown is well within his rights to forge a Lib-Lab coalition government, but with the weight of the Murdoch media and general tide of opinion against him it would be a surprise denoument. The man has still never won an election to be PM, and indeed the commentators noted the air of resignation in his voice even as he delivered his victory speech at his constituency. History tends to prove that governments go in cycles and I’ve been resigned to it being the Tories’ turn to have a go for a long while now. Looks like Cameron will shortly become The Man. Let the swingeing cuts commence! (Why are cuts always “swingeing” when nothing else ever is?
A final note on the OUTRAGE and SCANDAL of people being denied the chance to vote. Now, of course where the powers that be have made administrative errors that is A Bad Thing. However, ultimately if you’re unsure of your ability to get to a polling station within a 15-hour window - opening times clearly stated on your polling card - then you had ample opportunity to arrange a postal or even a proxy vote. I have very little sympathy with the likes of that appalling woman the BBC gave free reign to last night, who apparently drove by three times but didn’t like the size of the queue. Voters like to bang on about politicians facing up to their responsibilities - this equally applies to us too.
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