Since the election result and Call me Dave offered a deal to the Liberal Democrats, the two parties have been negotiating the terms for a coalition government. Today in a remarkable U-turn, Nick Clegg has requested formal talks with Labour as Gordon Brown announces he will stand down once a replacement is found. Maybe the man in the chicken suit stood next to him yesterday when he was interviewed was a sign of things to come from Clegg.
Sky’s political editor Adam Boulton has lambasted Gordon Brown’s announcement as trying to “throw a spanner in the works” of what the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are trying to do. It does seem like a desperate attempt to float a sinking Labour party, and no doubt the markets will reflect the increased levels of uncertainty with plummeting share prices tomorrow.
Is it right for Nick Clegg to, basically, choose the government despite his party polling even worse than last time? All the Liberal Democrats seem to care about is getting PR in order to increase their own influence. I don’t know about you but paying off a trillion quid of national debt is more important to me than that.
I fear for a Liberal Democrat and Labour coalition, I really do. Neither want to get cracking on the national debt, which is fuelling the nervousness in the city that benefits nobody. But every cloud has a silver lining, and hopefully there will be enough fringe party resistance to prevent this coalition having a majority, and we will get another election in due course. But this election could be under Proportional Representation which could spell the end for the Conservative Party given the socialist majority in the House of Commons.
It will, however, provide purpose for voting for extreme parties like the BNP, and under PR I think a lot would be tempted to go with that. I thought I supported PR, but looking at the state of play with the number of left leaning parties, I don’t think I do now.
This election result demonstrates clearly that Labours tactic of creating an overweight public sector, packing it with people then telling them, “the Tories will sack you” has worked. Labour were able to cling on to key seats that would have pre-empted this Lib-Lab socialist ransoming that we’re seeing now.
Peter Mandelson has beckoned Nick Clegg into his tower of mystery and he will be wined and dined like a king until he’s starry eyed and fully under the control of the Lord of Darkness. I just hope he resists jumping into bed with him.
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I have never supported PR for this reason alone, I don’t like all the back deals, and worst of all you often end up with everyones second choice and not the person with the most votes.
As for Gordon Brown, he could pull this little coup of and they would have a mandate if they use the 14 million voted Labour and Lib card but it wouldn’t last, alternatively a Conservative miniority could work, at the very least it would show Cameron is capable of governing just as it did for Prime Minister Harper of Canada.
Personally I don’t want another election until at least October so that by that time I could actually campaign and vote in a Blackpool election
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Be afraid, very afraid.
Lord adonis:
“”No one party can command a majority in the House of Commons. Fifteen million people voted for Labour and the Liberal Democrats combined, last Thursday. Only 10 million people voted for the Conservative Party last Thursday. “
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Don’t do it Mr Clegg, don’t be fooled by this cynical stunt. Brown knew he was on his way anyway, so he is just jumping before he is pushed, I bet this has been carefully plotted since the results came in on Friday. Liebour think with a new leader they will get a Lib Dem pact and retain their stranglehold on the country. If Liebour are so interested in PR as they claim why didn’t they do it in the last 13 years? Why only now does it suddenly become top of their agenda? I want a Conservative-Lib Dem coalition. I would prefer a Conservative Government but I can stomach a Con-Lib coaliton I don’t want Labour having any power at all. Another good thing that could come from this is; if the coalition works well it gives the Lib Dems an excellent chance to prove themselves worthy of governing and they could hopefully push Labour out and make them the third party. The country will continue to suffer if Labour gets a coalition, the country cannot afford Labour staying, literally.
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I agree TB a con/lib dem coalition is fine.
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Need PR. Euro govs have no prob with it, its fair and basicly better imo.
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Conservative= 306 seats 36.1% 10.6 million votes
Lib/Lab = 315 seats 52% 15.4 million votes
If its most votes wins you are looking at!!!!
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PR is a terrible system. Blackpool South would have Ron Bell under it thanks to Tory voters in the Fylde for a start – and that’s not real democracy. First past the post works. Why should a party of protest votes and a lot of second places become a party of great influence? It’s a false argument in the end. Most people vote for one candidate in your area and you accept it. Under PR we will get back room deals, dodgier candidates than ever and unaccountable MPs. Try removing a dodgy MP such as Jacqui Smith under PR.
15.4 million people didn’t vote for a Labour/Lib Dem pact Boney and TrooBloo. NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON IN THIS COUNTRY DID. To start adding votes together after the event and merging is dishonest and underhand. If you vote UKIP do you think it’s reasonable after the event to find out that actually you’ve got the BNP in power?
Try looking around North Cornwall constituency where I have family and you will see they are strongly lib dem and very against Labour. Phil voted LibDem this time – did you really think your vote was for a Labour dominated Lib/Lab pact?
The only argument for PR is from parties that can’t win without it. It has absolutely nothing to do with fairness. If the Lib Dems didn’t know this, do you really think they would be seriously considering joining a coalition of losers instead of joining up with the party with the most votes? The only good reason why they would resist now is that they don’t want the public to vote on PR – more done deals about major changes to the political constitution of this country that other countries can have referenda on but we can’t in case we choose the wrong option.
In case anyone failed to notice the Lib Dems got only 8.8% of the seats in parliament. The Conservatives got 47% and Labour 39.8%. Why the hell is it even an option that the Conservatives aren’t in government?
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Because they didn’t get 50%+ and the other two leftie parties would vote against them on everything except Trident, so nothing would get through.
I wasn’t voting for a Lib-Lab pact, but I wasn’t voting for a Con-Lib pact either!
The trouble with these coalitions is that all voting for the manifesto goes out of the window because no single party can implement theirs. Any pact with the Liberals seems to mean the debt will not be paid off immediately and we end up with PR.
Why the LD has such power to call the shots I do not know. The Tories should get a go at it, and if the other parties systematically vote them down then another election should be called.
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I think ya getting PR systems mixed up with something else.
“Try removing a dodgy MP such as Jacqui Smith under PR.”
Its easier under some PR systems just depends on the system.
A Labour/Lib Dem pact would represent a LARGER portion of UK votes then a tory min gov. Thats a fact. NO ONE won the election so a coalition is the way to go. Torys are fucking useless anyway.
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Labour are fucking useless, the country is ready for change and Liebour don’t represent ‘change’ and ‘progression’ they represent broken Britain and I mean broken socially and financially.
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Thats my point Frustrated the Libs got 23% and only 57 MP’s.
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But they still got the lowest percentage of votes to go with the lowest number of seats. That is a fact you can’t argue against. So how unfair is it really? The truth is the Lib Dems are after proportional representation simply because they’d do better with it and they’re the only party that would. What they seem to be forgetting is that they still wouldn’t actually win. But it might mean they get more influence than their meagre vote would normally get or is justified by forming alliances. And to force it through with Labour without the country being asked makes them as dodgy, sleazy and underhand as Labour if they side with that option.
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True enough, but how is that vote spread across the UK? We know at least in Blackpool the Liberal Democrat vote went down this time round.
What you’re saying is that it would be okay if everyone in London and its metropolitan area voted Liberal Democrat and nobody else in the UK did, that would leave them as the largest party with around 14million votes and it would be somehow fair or correct.
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All these delays to forming a government are the biggest reason I don’t like PR, it’s meant to create transparency and open debate, instead we get lots more (non) smoked fill room discussions.
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Clegg is supposedly trying to score the keys to Number 10 now. Can it get more ridiculous? The loser ending up as PM?!
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Philtheone for PM!
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Hamish Howitt for PM
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I assume you are being sarcastic Bruiser!!!!
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