The result of the UK general election is… a hung parliament. It was a disastrous night for the Labour party, but the Conservatives failed to get an overall majority of seats in Parliament despite making over ninety gains. The Lib Dems, despite the positive performance of leader Nick Clegg, were understandably disappointed at their poor showing.
There were some of the usual electoral upsets. A handful of Labour ministers lost their seats, notably Charles Clarke in Norwich South, and Jacqui Smith in Redditch. Caroline Lucas won the Green party‘s first parlimentary seat in Brighton. In Northern Ireland, Peter Robinson, the leader of the Democratic Unionist party, also lost his seat. Despite this, there were relatively very few surprises.
Turnout was up at around 65 percent nationally, but there were problems at polling stations in many parts of the country, where there were allegations of electoral fraud, and that there were long queues of people trying to get in to vote, something virtually unheard of in recent elections, many more were shut out after the 10pm deadline. Voters, mostly dissatisfied at the whole spectacle, were saying to the candidates: “Put your bloody house in order!”
Labour have clearly paid the price for thirteen years of failure, and it is time for Gordon Brown to both admit his party’s mistakes and step down immediately. He doesn’t have a legal mandate to carry on as Prime Minister.
All the parties’ leaders also need to put their petty politics aside and try to deal with the bigger picture. There is a major economic crisis which is about to engulf Europe, as events in Greece have shown. A new workable government must be put in place within weeks in order to get the country moving again. The last thing we need is weeks of more uncertainty.
I’m sorry but I think he does have the right to try and form a government and should be given the opportunity to do so. Cameron didn’t get enough seats, pure and simple. The Lib Dems might well hold the key to who will be Prime Minister, but back room horse trading in the deepest, darkest, rooms of the palace of Westminter isn’t the way to do it. Clegg has said time and again he wants to change the face of politics, then let him do so. Be upfront, tell Brown and the public why he can’t work with him personally and give Brown the chance to change or say No!! Yes I’m a Labour supporter, but more importantly I support my country. We don’t need party politics, we need MPs’ to do the job they are paid to do to serve the interest of this country, and not their own desires.
I’m sorry but I think he does have the right to try and form a government and should be given the opportunity to do so. Cameron didn’t get enough seats, pure and simple. The Lib Dems might well hold the key to who will be Prime Minister, but back room horse trading in the deepest, darkest, rooms of the palace of Westminter isn’t the way to do it. Clegg has said time and again he wants to change the face of politics, then let him do so. Be upfront, tell Brown and the public why he can’t work with him personally and give Brown the chance to change or say No!! Yes I’m a Labour supporter, but more importantly I support my country. We don’t need party politics, we need MPs’ to do the job they are paid to do to serve the interest of this country, and not their own desires.