As the dust settles on these elections, it is becoming clearer how the parties did. Labour exceeded expectations, the Tories had a bad but not disastrous set of results and the Liberal Democrats took another kicking. Indeed, they actually lost a higher proportion of the seats that they were defending this year than they did last year: 44 per cent compared to 41 per cent in 2011.
Given these results is it is quite remarkable how solidly behind Nick Clegg the Lib Dem parliamentary party remains. Not a single MP has called for him to go or for the party to quit coalition. I’m sure this is partly because the Lib Dems are doing better in the parliamentary seats that they hold than they are nationally. But their calm under fire is still noteworthy.
On the Tory side of the coalition, we’re going to see a lot of discussion about how and why Boris bucked the trend. Certainly, it was an impressive performance that demonstrated his vote-getting qualities in a way that his victory in favourable conditions in 2008 did not. Perhaps the most important quality Boris has in this anti-politics age is authenticity. He is who he is and isn’t embarrassed about it.
For Labour, these results suggest that Bradford West was a one-off event, not a harbinger of what is to come. Their clear win in Glasgow, against expectations, is also a reassuring sign for them. It indicates that the worst might be over for the party north of the border.
One other trend that stands out from the results is the decline of the three party system. Turnout was pitifully low and ‘other’ parties continued their advance. UKIP’s performance was another reminder of why there’s good reason to think that they might well top the poll in the 2014 European elections.
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