UK election: Are voters getting what they asked for?

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Tue, 11 May 2010 5:42p.m.

Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown

By Kim Chisnall

The British electorate are beginning to get a taste of coalition politics for the first time in decades.

This morning the fight for 10 Downing Street resembled more of a Dutch auction – especially after the surprise announcement that Labour leader Gordon Brown would be leaving.

The Conservative Party has made public its final offer.

“We will go the extra mile and offer to the Liberal Democrats in a coalition government the holding of a referendum on the alternative vote system, so that the people of this country can decide,” said Conservative Coalition negotiator William Hague.

But Labour may have already trumped that – all signs point to them agreeing to change to a more proportional voting system, without the need for a referendum.

Cameron’s conservatives need just the one partner to easily pass the 326 seats needed for a majority.

Labour can’t get there, even with the LibDems – their marriage of convenience still needs extra bedfellows from the fringe. They’re calling it “the rainbow coalition”.

Labour’s negotiation teams met with the liberal democrats late into the night. If they do manage to thrash out a deal it will produce a prime minister the people didn’t elect –something nobody in Britain realised they were voting for.

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Comments

12 May 2010 07:06a.m.

Dave wrote:

Are the voters getting what they asked for? Well, at least under the British system a large chunk of voters usually do get what they voted for - this current situation is a little unusual, but in the end that same logic is going to hold true. Under our present system no-one gets what they voted for - we get some watered-down and twisted combination of part-policies spawned out of horse-trading between competing minority groups and larger factions desperate to form a government!

11 May 2010 10:44p.m.

Dave wrote:

"They clearly voted for the center left: 53% Labour and Liberal Democrats" ... It just goes to show that you can bend statistics to mean whatever your particular political bias wants it to mean. Whatever happened to the fact that the Conservatives got the most votes and the most seats. Shouldn't it really be the Conservatives and Labour forming a coalition if you really want to talk about what the public "clearly" voted for. Putting together some random selection of groups because together they commanded more than 50% of the vote is definitely not what the people voted for! I notice also that people with an irrational bias towards the Labour party refer to the Conservative party as "The Tories" as if it helps to demean a party by not using their correct name. The largest media service in this country (The BBC) have been doing this for years now too. The fact that Gordon Brown still manages to promote himself as a fiscal genius when he has proven time and time that he is most certainly not, can surely only be put down to biased media. Didn't Nick Clegg state that he would form a coalition with the party that commanded the most votes. Should he decide to form a coalition with the Labour party, is that an indication as to how truthful he plans to be?

11 May 2010 10:30p.m.

a dell wrote:

cameron got 2million votes more, how can it be right for anyone other than him to be confirmed as prime ministe, the labour party will offer lib dems anything to stay in power, the chief architect of the labour plan will be mandleson - who twice had to leave the government for disreputable behaviour. nick cleg obviously does not have the country's interests in mind he is soley seeking pr he does not seem to compehend the injustice to the british public of forming a lab - lib pact

11 May 2010 07:54p.m.

john wrote:

The people of Britain knew what they voted for! They clearly voted for the center left: 53% Labour and Liberal Democrats (who have been further left than the watered down New Labour in recent years). The Tories got 36% and the rest divide between other parties of the left and right. In my understanding of democracy, the center left should have power since they have an overwhelming majority! I just don’t get the entire media flurry about not electing the “right” “person”...unless the media are indeed corporate hacks as some believe. Democracy is not about a “person” though the media would like us to believe that. Perhaps another right leaning biased TV 3 report...? (“something nobody in Britain realised they were voting for.”)

11 May 2010 07:43p.m.

Englishman wrote:

Just goes to show how desperate Labour are to stay in power that they are prepared to walk over British voters and deny them the chance to vote on a proportional system. I hope the Lib Dems and the Conservatives form a government.

11 May 2010 07:40p.m.

V wrote:

Just what nelly Gordon wanted, the end of the UK, he has plotted this since his appointment, Selling the wealth of the UK gold to the Zionists, for bottoms prices, nice one.