Upcoming PM elections...

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

SWEET BABY JESUS!!! Brown resigned!!!

dancy dancy dancy dancy dancy dancy dancy dancy dancy dancy dancy dancy dancy

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Snipped from the Grauniad:

Here's the extract from Brown's speech about his future.

If it becomes clear that the national interest, which is stable and principled government, can be best served by forming a coalition between the Labour party and the Liberal Democrats, then I believe I should discharge that duty to form that government which would in my view command a majority in the House of Commons in the Queen's speech and any other confidence votes.

But I have no desire to stay in my position longer than is needed to ensure the path to economic growth is ensured and the process of political reform we have agreed moves forward quickly. The reason that we have a hung parliament is that no single party and no single leader was able to win the full support of the country. As leader of my party, I must accept that that is a judgment on me. I therefore intend to ask the Labour party to set in train the processes needed for its own leadership election. I would hope that it would be completed in time for the new leader to be in post by the time of the Labour party conference. I will play no part in that contest and I will back no individual candidate.

[NotworkSte 19]

Wasn't expecting that today!

I reckon he's been told to go, very firmly, either by the NEC or senior party members, as a way of trying to push through a pact with the Lib Dems. Whatever the reason, good riddance.

[Justine+David 218]

oh my goodness!!

So, does he still get to be a MP since he was elected in his precinct?

[Darnell 8,478]

Justine+David - yup - unless he resigns his seat, or loses the next general election.

[Pooky 3,795]

Wasn't expecting that today!

I reckon he's been told to go, very firmly, either by the NEC or senior party members, as a way of trying to push through a pact with the Lib Dems. Whatever the reason, good riddance.

Aye

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

It's official -- Cameron is PM. Talks with the Lib Dems continue and the likelihood of a coalition government with them seems strong, with the possibility of a Lib Dem in every department being mooted. Stalin, my husband, came marching in the house with a grin to announce the news that the Tories were back in power.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

That's it -- coalition government announced, with Clegg as deputy PM.

[Pooky 3,795]

That's it -- coalition government announced, with Clegg as deputy PM.

[Justine+David 218]

ah well. At least David is leaving the country...he won't be happy about this.

Bright side: Cameron is pretty hot. Great eye candy. So is Mr. Clegg. Mr. Brown is good in the moody, surly type, but not appealing to the general public, apparently.

Hey did you guys know that both Brown and Cameron lost babies? I feel bad for their wives. That's awful.

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

There may be some very decent fruit from this coalition. The prospect of meaningful electoral reform (or at least a referendum on such) is heartening, as is addressing non-EU immigration to the UK (looooooong overdue). I'd like to see how the adoption of fixed-term parliaments will pan out -- this has not been too much remarked upon, and in some ways is one of the most tradition-busting reforms out there. From what I can recall from my Constitutional Law class, this is completely novel for at least an English Parliament (my knowledge of Scots and NI law is next to nil, bar a few things about property law).

[Ricky+Vanessa 43]

As a civil servant working in eerrr "crime" have to say the Tories coming into power is NOT great news. Means massive cuts jobwise for an already understaffed area of work.

I thought Brown's 'last hurrah' speech to the party faithful was excellent. If only he had shown that fight during the election.

I agree that the coalition could be interesting. I am, however, sure that a lot of Lib Dem voters are wholly disappointed. Next election time should be interesting.

[NotworkSte 19]

Long post ahead...

I'm not so sure the Lib Dem voters will be too disheartened, especially when they see they can have a real influence in politics. Although I am a Tory, I've always thought the LD had some policies worth serious consideration, and if you look at it in terms of the % that voted for them, they were almost 25%, they deserve a say at this time.

My friend Stephen (who did not get in, for some reason Scotland seems to stick with Labour come hell or high water) wrote a good blog yesterday on Conservative and Lib Dem alignment:

http://linlithgow-libdems.blogspot.com/2010/05/tory-or-labour-why-right-decision-was.html

One point I noticed. From Camerons first speech, he was very complimentaty of Brown. Of course, it's only words and not necesarily his true feelings

"Before I talk about that new government, let me say something about the one that has just passed. Compared with a decade ago, this country is more open at home and more compassionate abroad, and that is something we should all be grateful for.

On behalf of the whole country I'd like to pay tribute to the outgoing prime minister, for his long record of dedicated public service."

Compare to Brown when he stepped into Blairs shoes:

"I have heard the need for change: change in our NHS; change in our schools; change with affordable housing; change to build trust in government; change to protect and extend the British way of life."

"And this need for change cannot be met by the old politics....And this need for change cannot be met by the old politics"

Brown speech almost sounds like he was leading a new party into office, you'd never guess he was probably the biggest shaper of policies under Blair and kept the rest of the cabinet in line with an iron fist by controlling their funding.