A rolling Westminster drama

John Moss

A Conservative/Lib-Dem coalition could bury Labour as a national political force for good.

A forensic audit of the true position of our public finances would expose Brown's financial vandalism and allow a re-setting of the Atlee construction of the Welfare State to which ALL subsequent Governments happily cleaved.

Turning the system from one which funds providers and limits support through testing people's means and "expert" planning, to one which funds everybody up to a sensible level, but then requires them to source their own healthcare, pension and school, could turn us away from socialism for good.

Happy days!

denis cooper

Here's some other subject matter for you, Fraser:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/may/09/debt-crisis-european-union

"EU ministers pledge billions in a gamble to save the euro"

Maybe you can make sense of it.

WetherspoonThree

The current political situation perfectly reflects the present problems facing our society. Under NuLabour noboby was allowed to come second, let alone third or fourth. Its rather like the school sports-day where everyone gets a prize. Under NuLabour nobody was allowed to come last.... This mad, mad, world works for so long but eventually we will all have to accept we have a huge financial debt. We need to realise that we cannot go on living in a dream world. To resolve these problems, we have to accept thar someone must be declared the winner even if that means a minority Conservative adminstration. One day it will become painfully clear that we will all have to confront our severe financial problems. A political fudge between the political parties is no solution.

Short the UK

Fraser,

Get ready for the economy to roar back, good news for the Libservatives:

Daily Mail - 9/5/10:

TREVOR GREETHAM'S job as director of asset allocation at fund group Fidelity International is to decide how clients' money is split between shares, bonds, property and other investments.

Despite panic-stricken trading in global markets, he believes the Greek bailout has averted an imminent disaster such as the collapse of European banks, but leaves problems about the euro's future unresolved.

The situation highlights the advantages of having our own currency, he says. 'When international investors become concerned about Britain, they sell sterling, which is mainly beneficial for our economy,' he explains.

'But when international investors are concerned about Greece they cannot do the same, so instead they sell Greek shares and property, which is damaging to the Greek economy.'

He is surprisingly upbeat about global recovery both on the Continent and Britain.

'I believe the British economy is recovering faster than has been acknowledged,' he says.

'I think we will look back and realise this Election was fought at the moment when we were most pessimistic about the economy.' If the recovery gathers pace, as he believes it could, the resulting stronger tax revenues 'could do wonders for our debt situation'. In such a situation, shares would soar.

JohnRS

When Brown goes to the palace and resigns surely he has no say over who replaces him?

Her Majesty will have been briefed by the civil service and will decide who is to form the next government

So the "Send for Ed Balls" moment would never arise....not that it would surprise me if Brown tried it on!!

lids

This is the latest from Guido. So whilst you fret about future education policy Fraser, the socialists are bust organizing a democratic stitch up worthy of North Korea. Have you ever heard of the "Big Picture"?

If the Tories are unwilling to offer PR and the wider LibDem party blocks a deal without it, all bets could be off. Krishnan Guru-Murthy (C4 News) has sketched out a very different scenario which would follow Gordon Brown quitting:-

The process this would involve is so convoluted as to make it almost certainly impossible – but the theory goes that Gordon Brown resigns as Labour leader but not as prime minister, while Harriet Harman as caretaker leader negotiates with Nick Clegg. This would be on the basis that David Miliband will stand unopposed by any serious candidate as new Labour leader, so that the Lib Dems know exactly who they would go into government with eventually.

Once the deal is done Gordon Brown goes to the palace and advises the Queen that the caretaker Harriet Harman can form a government with the Lib Dems, then once Labour has its new leader in place she goes to the palace and advises the Queen that Miliband will be taking over as prime minister.

Thomas Kell

Why is Labour letting Con-Lib happen? It can only be because they are too scared to govern, too frightened of destroying their public sector vote base in dealing with the deficit. Any number of good Labour scenarios come to mind. E.g. Darling (defied the recession, Europe, Brown) as interim PM, Cable as Chancellor. Electoral Reform, just enough of an economic plan to keep 'the markets' happy for a while. The parliamentary arithmetic keeps being quoted as a reason against Lab-Lib but the point is: would Cameron dare USE the maths? To bring down a government with some popular figures in it making plans which seem decent enough? And the legitimacy issues are over-stated. No mandate for Labour or unelected new PM but does the public care? Short-term outburst of angst but perceived competence outweighs principles. Millions will still vote Labour whoever the Leader. Labour playing a long game. Cameron doing what he must - someone has to govern and you have to do the 'right thing'- but it's dangerous.

Slim Jim

First and foremost we need stable government in the national interest. That begins by getting rid of the sitting tenant in no. 10. Then the economic mess must be tackled intelligently. That means an alliance/coalition/platonic relationship between the Tories and the Liberals like it or not. A major expose of Brown's record would be useful too.

TrevorsDen

If there is to be a deal it needs to be for longer than 18 months - 3 years if you ask me. There needs to be a plan to get deficit down and it will take longer than 18 months to work through. I would have thought the coalition partners would want a decent time to show the measures were working. And the minor party would not want a disadvantageous election forced on them. For the LDs this is an opportunity to stick it to the Labour Party. Brown etc want a 'progressive' coalition because they want to neuter the LDs.

Paul T Horgan

I think the most telling comments of today have been that the Liberals have to demonstrate that they can come to an agreement and fast. If this drags on then it will be the nail in the coffin of Proportional representation as it will demonstrate that it leave the country without a government for far too long.

The Tories and the Liberals have to work out a mechanism to allow a policy blend. If they do get to to work then PR might have a shot. If not then it'll be FPTP until we get a proper government

The Liberals are therefore in a tight spot here. If they do not allow a proper government to be formed then they will be punished at the next election. So they had better get onside without too many quibbles.

So Clegg better get his people into line and accept that the wish list will be a small one or the Thorpe/Steel political wilderness will seem like an oasis by comparison. They're already going down in the polls and people voted against them to prevent a hung parliament. Next time the people will make sure.

Susan Hill

We live in stirring times, Jeeves.

HFC

'...they are fair-and-balanced - pictures of Thatcher on the walls and Jacques Delores on the dartboard.'

Brilliant, Fraser.

glenlivetguy

We are seeing in Prime Minister Elect Cameron's statemanship ,and to be fair in that of Nick Clegg, a hopeful reassurance that the mess that Brown, Blair and co created might just be solved over the coming few years. "Cometh the moment, cometh the man"... fingers crossed...but they need the uncritical support of all who want the best for this country.....well at least until the Queen's speech and emergency budget is done and dusted!

Horatius

Fine so far, except for one thing. Don't let Clegg anywhere near immigration policy. Does David Cameron want to commit political suicide?

Marcher Baron

Dave could be ruing the day he backpedalled on the Lisbon referendum. Not only did he lose seats to UKIP, but the EU is about to make us cough up to save the Euro.

TGF UKIP

Fraser, I await with interest your getting round to how and why the Cameron Tories ended up in this mess.

No doubt Osborne will be entirely exonerated.

Hadrian

Will there be a revolution south of the border of Broon manages some machiavelian set up to cling on in No 10? I wouldn't put it beyond the bounds of possibility.

Zoo keeper (Elephant House)

Shorty !!!

Applaud your optimism.
Only a coupla weeks ago you were preparing us for stagausflation.
Now the economy is "roaring back".
You're frightening the elephants. They don't know what's occurin'.

Zoo keeper (Elephant House)

lids.

This is Parliament Square. Not Albert Square.

Naomi Muse

As they carried on in their secret meetings until beyond 2am this morning, we shall see what they can do.

Meantime, do you think that they could sort out the midlothian question so that the unfairness to the English could be dealt with? If Labour had done that rather than sitting on the fence, the numbers would look very different.