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[Stevie Gerrard]

Well, not entirely. I think in many countries, the first option after the cards have been dealt is that the biggest party gets to form a government. Whether that is a right-wing party that got 30% of the vote, even though the 3 left parties got 60% combined. That right-wing party should get the change to negotiate with all the other parties to try and form a coalition. Only when that party fails to do so, it becomes more of a "who gets to a 50+% coalition first" kind of deal, whether or not the bigger/biggest parties are part of it.

Good post.

There are two factors at play, the individual party with the most votes versus the policies/ideologies with the most votes. So it's fair that the 'winning' party should get first option to try to form a government but it's perfectly sane that two or more parties with similar policies should get together to outflank them.

There are Lib Dem voters who are livid about a Lib-Con coalition who are planning to use Camerons policy to fire your local MP and get the Lib Dems out if they team up Internet Petitions already warming up.

:lol :lol Could even happen to Clegg

 

[RedShift]

How will this fire your MP thing work? Because if all the Labour/LibDem voters in my constituency argue our Conservative MP should be fired they'll easily outnumber the Conservative voters (way over 50% of the vote). Seems the whole thing could be difficult to make work.

 

[Empty]

Pretty sure an MP has to be found guilty of parliamentary wrong-doing, like fiddling expenses, before he can be recalled by his constituents, under Tory policy.

I don't think 'betraying progressive politics' counts as "wrong-doing" under the Tories criteria.

 

[Sage00]

Alex Salmond calls on Lib Dems to form progressive alliance.

Edit: Labour dismisses suggestion. :lol

 

[gofreak]

Both Lib Dems and Downing Street are rejecting those claims about an 'angry' phonecall twixt Brown and Clegg.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Po...After_Phone_Call_With_Gordon_Brown_Last_Night

However suggestions that there was an angry exchange between the leaders were rubbished by the Lib Dems and Downing Street sources.

A Lib Dem spokesman said: "It is categorically untrue. It was a perfectly amicable conversation instigated by Gordon Brown.

"Nick Clegg explained he was taking the same approach outlined in his statement on Friday morning."

 

[Veidt]

This is one weird Election. Though the Tories almost won. It might end up hurting them more than any other election in recent years. Especially if a progressive alliance is formed.

 

[Salazar]

god i love this country :lol

France had the catharsis of a revolution. Britain still has a twisted gut, leaking bile.

 

[killer_clank]

Alex Salmond calls on Lib Dems to form progressive alliance.

Edit: Labour dismisses suggestion. :lol

Are they suicidal? Fuck me. If they want to stay in power, they need all the support they can get.

 

[Empty]

Yeah, surely they can't get a majority without SNP support. What on earth are they doing.

 

[Veidt]

my god, labour is completely incompetent.

 

[Mr. Sam]

This gif needs to be lengthened with Sauron cleaving through the army to represent Cameron taking Labour seats.

 

[gofreak]

Labour dismisses Alex Salmond's suggestion of a "progressive alliance", saying the possibility of the nationalists and Labour working together was "a desperate attempt by Alex Salmond to make himself look relevant after a terrible general election result".

Said without a hint of irony? :lol

It'll be lonely for Labour in opposition with that kind of attitude. Not that they have to be best friends with other parties or whatever...but y'know.

I think best Labour can hope for is to promote a new leader, and hope that in a new election soon the combination of the bad taste of Brown being washed out of the electorate's mouth, and a reality of Cameron (i.e. cuts cuts cuts) will lead to them recovering some of the more marginal seats lost to the tories, weakening a con-lib majority.

 

[killer_clank]

The SNP didn't even do that bad at all, they beat the Lib Dems in terms of votes in Scotland, and this was in a national election, where typically they're forced out of the argument in terms of national news coverage/importance in a Westminster government.

 

[Jex]

Well this whole thing is going to keep getting stupider, I see.

Even if Brown does nothing wrong, we'll only hear more bad things about him. He's a massive liability.

 

[Varion]

1415 David Cameron is to meet with all Conservative MPs at 1800 BST on Monday for the first time to discuss the latest situation, his spokeswoman says.

This should go down well :lol Wonder how much they'd be willing to give.

 

[Withnail]

Both Lib Dems and Downing Street are rejecting those claims about an 'angry' phonecall twixt Brown and Clegg.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Po...After_Phone_Call_With_Gordon_Brown_Last_Night

It wouldn't surprise me if some LDs are briefing against Brown because they see him as a roadblock to a LibLab deal.

 

[avaya]

FUCK OFF BROWN YOU FUCKING CUNT.

GET MILIBAND IN. GET THE PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE DONE.

 

[killer_clank]

Did that Labour dude on News 24 think Menzies Campbell was still leader of the Lib Dems? :lol :lol

 

[Veidt]

FUCK OFF BROWN YOU FUCKING CUNT.

GET MILIBAND IN. GET THE PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE DONE.

Pretty much.
The candidates are showing their explicit vices now more than ever.

 

[Empty]

God i want so bad to be a fly on the wall for these deals. The arguments inside the LD and Tory parties would be amazing to watch, along with the negotiations themselves.

 

[Wes]

Lembit Opik was awesome on HIGNFY. Shame this show wasn't last week, he probably would've still been an MP.

 

[blazinglord]

Are they suicidal? Fuck me. If they want to stay in power, they need all the support they can get.

They know which side their bread is buttered i.e. England where over 80% of the UK population lives. They will have a tough time holding onto their Northern seats let alone ever gaining an overall majority again if they start making economically-favourable deals with Nationalists in Scotland and Wales at the expense of England.

 

[avaya]

If we're going to get all small-time about it all I propose that London splits from the rest of England. We don't want the toffs.

 

[Shanadeus]

Man politics can be fun :lol

 

[blazinglord]

If we're going to get all small-time about it all I propose that London splits from the rest of England. We don't want the toffs.

I propose an English parliament, and a proper parliament for Wales and Northern Ireland to match Scotland's parliament.

 

[SFA_AOK]

Any word on the demo in Trafalgar Square?

 

[Walshicus]

I propose an English parliament, and a proper parliament for Wales and Northern Ireland to match Scotland's parliament.

I propose scrapping the UK - who fucking needs it?

 

[avaya]

I propose an English parliament, and a proper parliament for Wales and Northern Ireland to match Scotland's parliament.

Don't even want that. London can be it's own country, London is very different from the rest of England.

 

[Mecha_Infantry]

Fed up of all this backroom stuff...Gonna buy some more Nigerian Guinness and smoke off my weed..

Lib Dems/Cleggy can't wilt to the Cons just to get a few cabinet members in...Stay strong and keep up the fight..even if it means sacrificing cabinet members

 

[blazinglord]

Don't even want that. London can be it's own country, London is very different from the rest of England.

Well London has its own Mayor and London assembly. I think that's enough, plus economically the rest of the country depends on London.

 

[Mecha_Infantry]

holy shit, anyone watching BBC News? HUGE protest at the moment for fair voting...Good cause

 

[blazinglord]

I propose scrapping the UK - who fucking needs it?

An EU dominated by Conservative governments or a 'progressive alliance' at home. You know as a Tory, I am starting to see the EU in a more positive light...

 

[phisheep]

If we're going to get all small-time about it all I propose that London splits from the rest of England. We don't want the toffs.

er, who's the elected Mayor of London then?

 

[blazinglord]

er, who's the elected Mayor of London then?

Good point! I had forgotten about the wonderful Boris.

 

[Xavien]

holy shit, anyone watching BBC News? HUGE protest at the moment for fair voting...Good cause

YES! we need this, i hope it grows, i hope this spreads.

 

[painey]

fucking hell its billy bragg :lol

 

[avaya]

er, who's the elected Mayor of London then?

The clown which was a protest vote against Brown. If you re-ran that election you will see a staggeringly different result.

 

[Empty]

holy shit, anyone watching BBC News? HUGE protest at the moment for fair voting...Good cause

good cause, but it's ruined a little by the anti-capitalism banners.

 

[SFA_AOK]

Billy Bragg: "This time next week, David Milliband will be Prime Minister" :lol

 

[painey]

I don't like Kay Burley, but she has absolutely destroyed this guy :lol

 

[avaya]

This muppet on Sky is losing to Kay Burley? :lol

 

[industrian]

Labour's cold-blooded dismissal of Alex Salmond's suggestion says it all to me really: They've given up. Standard Operating Procedure would have been to come out with something diplomatic - even if there was no chance of a coalition with the SNP. You know, they'd have said something like "The Labour Party are currently considering all possible scenarios" instead of the "Fuck yoose wee fannybaws an' yer wan seat majority up in Holyrood. Git tae fuck" message they seem to have come out with.

 

[industrian]

Billy Bragg: "This time next week, David Milliband will be Prime Minister" :lol

He also dreamt he saw Phil Ochs last night, so my suggestion is not to listen to crazy people.

 

[curls]

NO MORE WASTED VOTES! :lol

 

[D4Danger]

dat protest

this isn't going to end well for anyone.

 

[SFA_AOK]

I don't like Kay Burley, but she has absolutely destroyed this guy :lol

Ha ha, what happened?

He also dreamt he saw Phil Ochs last night, so my suggestion is not to listen to crazy people.

Don't worry, I'm not listening to him (though kudos to him for what he did in Barking and Dagenham).

 

[D4Danger]

I want Clegg to come outside and give this exact speech from The Warriors

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSN2kAo-y40

Spoiler

CAN YOU DIG IT?!

 

[travisbickle]

Labour's cold-blooded dismissal of Alex Salmond's suggestion says it all to me really: They've given up. Standard Operating Procedure would have been to come out with something diplomatic - even if there was no chance of a coalition with the SNP. You know, they'd have said something like "The Labour Party are currently considering all possible scenarios" instead of the "Fuck yoose wee fannybaws an' yer wan seat majority up in Holyrood. Git tae fuck" message they seem to have come out with.

I prefer it to the "come talk to us Clegg, we might implement one of your policies to help disadvantaged and poor people!" from Cameron.

 

[Subliminal]

Why not have a Anti-Tory Rainbow coalition, seeing as every party with a seat that's not the tories or DUP is ideologically similar to the Labour Party or the Liberal Democrats..

We could have Caroline Lucas as the Environment minister!

 

[blazinglord]

The clown which was a protest vote against Brown. If you re-ran that election you will see a staggeringly different result.

Boris was not a protest vote again Brown, in fact Brown was still in his honeymoon period at that point I believe. I was still living in London at the time and I remember people being sick to death of Ken Livingstone and Boris promised popular policies - getting rid of the bendy buses, not extending congestion zone into the West and banning drinking on the tube. I fully expect Boris to win another term despite vociferous objections from The Guardian again.