Certainties turn to ashes

I think my brain is about to blow a fuse. The impossible exit poll that turned out to be brilliantly accurate. The failure of the Tories to gain an overall majority expected for two years.  The whirling Dervish Clegg flirting with Left and Right. Gordon Brown at last realising he is a liability. A number of us told him that last summer. For a long time he has been less popular than the Labour Party. 

It all happened because someone was pushing for television debates in the General Election. He mocked Gordon Brown for dodging a public hustings.  Gordon agreed, apparently reluctantly. Clegg starred and Cameron faded. It was the debate that destroyed the Tories' chance of a majority. 

Does Cameron reflect that he is being hoist by his own petard?

Vision of hell

How can a Lab-Lib coalition work?

Plaid MP Elfyn Llwyd argues that a minority can rule as the Scots Nats do in Scotland. The opposition in Scotland is divided  between Labour, LibDems and Tories. Salmond has divided and ruled successfully. The wholly united and disciplined Conservatives in Westminster would make life hell for a Lab-Lib group that was dependant on a rag bag of minor parties. Labour has a springboard of 258 seats from which to return to power in the coming General Election after a period of Con-Lib rule. 

Comments

[Tony]

One of the things that turned me away from a Lib Lab pact was Brown as PM - but that was nothing to the prospect of Salmond saying he saw it as an opportunity to wrest more from Westminster - umm, what money would that be ? He is an out and out nationalist which I can accept but not in a UK parliament which he just seems to see as a milch cow ..

[Gaz]

I suspect that what Nick's been prioritising all this time, and although it pains me to say it, being a staunch anti-conservative, I would support a Lib-Con coalition on the explicit pre-requisition that Proportional Representation is made into law, or at the very least put to the electorate to decide.

I can't speak on behalf of the British people, but I can honestly state that I think most people would jump at the prospect at breaking this favoured two party system.

I know John Cleese is one of them!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSUKMa1cYHk

[Kay Tie]

Rather than talk about votes for/against PR, how about putting it to the electorate in a referendum?

[Gaz]

I don't see how a Labour-Lib Dem coalition is impossible or intrinsically difficult?

Compared to a Tory-Lib Dem coalition, a Lib-Lab coalition appears to be far easier. After all, both parties come from traditionally left backgrounds.

The Tories know that supporting PR is clearly suicide for them, so the selfishly say no. The fact is, most of the British population supports left-leaning parties.

Tories Received 10 million votes
Labour Received 8 million votes &
Lib Dems Received 6 million votes.

It's therefore blatantly clear that any change in the voting system would result in left-leaning party majorities, by a factor of four million votes. Plaid and the SNP stating they'd support a Lib-Lab coalition just adds to this supposition.

Apparently some senior Labour figureheads have also stated they oppose it. How Selfish, really. Anyone who can see the number of votes and the seats awarded in the stats, will see that the system is just awful, and favour two parties.

Anyone who doesn't support PR is, in my eyes, undemocratic and selfish. That's 6 MILLION votes for the Lib Dems, this isn't some tiny number, this is the equivalent of doubling the population of Wales twice and all of them voting Lib Dem, which equates to what... mid 50 seats?

Come on Labour, I expect this type of denial from the Tories, but not from senior Labour figureheads.

[Kay Tie]

"A Lib / Lab pact would be like sticking two fingers up to the electorate. "

And the months of dirty legislation enacted would be like being waterboarded by the 'progressive' Labour Party that brought us, well, waterboarding.

[Tony]

A Lib / Lab pact would be like sticking two fingers up to the electorate.
Like it or not the Conservatives are the biggest party and should form the core of any government

[Kay Tie]

"It was the debate that destroyed the Tories' chance of a majority. "

Oh, such modesty: you belittle the hard work from Labour activists in voter fraud. It takes time and effort and dedication to arrange for so many false ballots.