Aftermath
May 7th, 2010 @ 10:56 | permalink
So a hung parliament it is. Can Brown manage to form a working government? I would imagine that there would be an outcry if he did although senior Lab figures spent a lot of last night/this morning making public overtures to the Lib Dems. The Tories will have the most seats and most votes so will feel that in the event of Brown failing to do so that they might be able to go it alone. We shall see. I'll have to check what the odds are of repeating the entire exercise in October.
On the results front it was nice to see Jacqui Smith and Bob Spink get show the door. Unfortunately Ed Balls and Hazel Blears retained theirs although with massively reduced majorities. Harriet Harman is still around so no doubt will want to a shot at the leadership of the Labour party if Brown goes. Can't imagine that'll go down well. :) Buckingham hasn't yet declared so don't know if the odious little toe rag is still the Speaker.
The little boys didn't do very well. Old Holborn and none of the Libertarian Party candidates got more than a few hundred and Nick Griffin didn't take Barking even though the thought of it was enough to have that constituency seeing more of Margaret Hodge than they have done for years.
An unsatisfactory night all round.
Quote of the day
May 7th, 2010 @ 16:15 | permalink
The age of "mass branded parties" is coming to an end and there needs to be a "looser" form of organisation among politicians to allow more independent thought, Tory MP Douglas Carswell says.
A common sense statement. We have too many party drones who simply do what the whips say.
Pandora added…
May 7th, 2010 @ 17:53 | permalink
Phillipa "homosexuality is caused by demons and we must pray the gay away" Stroud lost her seat too. Yay!
I hate the party system. Remember when the National Minimum Wage was being debated? Our local red party were very much in favour (being old lefties) and spoke to the local press. Almost immediately they were told to shut the eff up by central command until the party-line had been determined. Only once that was done were they going to be told what to think. I mean 'say'.
As a point of order I should say that Phillipa Stroud has never been an MP. The Sutton and Cheam seat was - and still is - a Lib Dem one.
As for the rest, that is simply another reason to dislike the whip system and the bullying (keep in line and we'll see you on a select committee/in a junior governmental position) that goes with it.
Pandora added…
May 8th, 2010 @ 22:48 | permalink
I stand corrected. I'll fire my researcher on Monday.
You're welcome. Thankfully the pitchfork wielding mob appears to have disbanded until such time as the next cause célèbre comes along.
Fancy joining in?
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