geordiezimmerman wrote: 

BREAKING NEWS!  BREAKING NEWS!
Wow, how exciting!  Lib dems announce they want to start FORMAL talks with labour, clearly talks with tories have failed (but still continue). THEN,  a few moments later Gordon Brown comes out of No 10 and informs the country he is RESIGNING. Looks like the Lab/Lib dem coalition is back on and now favourite to succeed!
Oh yes!

Great commentary explaining some of the numbers from UK Polling Report. 

 geordiezimmerman wrote: 

Yep- would you want to be Nick Clegg right now?- it is tantalising because of the potential for electoral reform but there is also a huge possibility of lashing it up and getting hated by a whole generation of voters.

 MrsHobieJoe wrote: 
But also of course, Labour are offereing the same, probably more than the tories and so therefore, If i'm correct in my thinking about the lib dems and their voters always being middle to left then surely they must go with Labour. I don't think his decision is just about reform although obviously that's at the top of the list but i think he also has to consider the impact his decision will have on his party and their voters, it could and probably will totally demolish his party if he goes with the tories. Big decision.

 geordiezimmerman wrote: 

If the Tories can't go there then it is their problem.  After all it would take a referendum so it's not their decision- it would be the country's.  I doubt that the vast majority of the electorate would say that offering a referendum is too big a price for the Conservatives to pay for LibDem support (or silence) in this government.  The problem is internal to the Tory party (and it is mostly the older parts of the party).

 MrsHobieJoe wrote: 
Yeah, we definitely need reform, that much is clear. The reason it has never happened is because it suited Labour and tories because they knew really that come election (in the last 30 odd years) it was always between those two, now it's different. Thing is, al during the election campaign tories said they would not consider electoral reform, they would consider putting it to 'the committe' whereas Labour have always said they would seriously consider it. To me it's a no brainer, Labour/Lib dem coalition. Oncve that is formed i think Gordon Brown will step down as leader and labour will elect a new one and in about a years time a new election will be held and Labour will win with a majority. I think many people voted against brown hinmself rather than the labour party. I feel for Brown in many ways, getting left a load of Tony Blairs shit to clean up.
One thing is certain, it's very very interesting and I'd love to be a fly on the wall in those meetings.

 callum wrote: 
Extract from the Telegraph article (it's on the front page):

The ICM survey for The Sunday Telegraph revealed that 48 per cent backed PR - a key demand of the Liberal Democrats. Some 39 per cent favoured sticking with the current "first past the post system" for electing MPs.

The public was split when asked how they wanted Britain to be governed after Thursday's general election resulted in a hung parliament, with the Conservatives, on 306 seats, the largest party. 

Some 33 per cent wanted a coalition government between the Tories and the Liberal Democrats, while 32 per cent thought Nick Clegg's party should team up with Labour.

Just 18 per cent favoured a minority Tory government

 MrsHobieJoe wrote: 
Its what I hope for.  The differences in the vote percentages and the seats held are really damming this time.  We really need change to the system and soon!

 geordiezimmerman wrote:

 

Quite a lot of the South West are more rightist Lib-Dems but I agree that elsewhere in the country your analysis is right.  We'll have to see what they can cobble together.  There's an interesting article in the Telegraph today that suggests half of the country are already for a reform of the electoral system and at least if we move over to that we'll get what we vote for. 

Labour have had 13 years to introduce electoral reform (they shilly shallied on it in the late 90s) and it is the only thing that I could accept from either party as a condition for LibDem support.  I am deeply sceptical that the Tories will be able to offer it as the right just can't face up to the fact that the country is a different place to 30 years ago.

EDIT: It is only today that the SNP have offered their 9 seats to make up a centre left coalition- before that they had insufficient for even the barest majority.

 Manbird wrote: 
Me too. No one really knows at the moment. There's so many connotations to consider. Personally I think if he sides with the tories he may as well sign the death warrant for his own party. Going from their own facebook page, i'd say 95% of people on there are saying go with Labour and so I think it's fair to suggest that those that voted Lib dem would feel let down if he went with the tories and would never consider voiting lib dem again, we trusted him this time, we wouldn't again.  Not only that, labour have offered all the things lib dems wanted from the start, most importantly electoral reform. Lib dems have always been a middle to left party so even to consider forming a coalition with the tories is staggering!

 MrsHobieJoe wrote: 
I wish the liberals would join with labor and clobber the conservatives. 

 MrsHobieJoe wrote:

 
Well I was pretty wrong- the results were:

Con 306
Lab: 258
LibDem: 57
Other: 28

The maths are such that the Tories can only seek 8 other seats that are "right wing", but the centre left can only get to 326 which would give them a precarious majority of one.

Interestingly the exit poll that everyone was so sceptical about was right:

Conservatives: 307 seats
Labour: 255
Lib Dems: 59
Others: 29

 

 MrsHobieJoe wrote: 
  not a good policy.

 jools wrote: 
Laters

 geordiezimmerman wrote: 
Yeah - I get your point.

Now,it's been a great pleasure but I really MUST GO! 

 jools wrote: 
It was the Clinton flirtation that did it to be honest

 geordiezimmerman wrote: 
But you haven't seen my husband!!!!!

 MrsHobieJoe wrote: 
I presume you don't mean Balls of the Ed variety! LOL!

I agree re AJ and JS - HH is too tainted - remember her husband's dodgy dealings?  No, we need someone with no previous, brains and charm.  No - it has to be a Milli-boy - preferably David.

 jools wrote: 
It's put me off mine