General election 2010: Polling stations report high turnout

[Welshcookie 17]

british politics! how exciting!

where's the no-doz?

I guess only American politics can be "exciting"...heh...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I guess only American politics can be "exciting"...heh...

Old Paraplegic and Stepford Wife vs Gay Muslim and Foot in Mouth.

The UK could never beat that.

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

I guess only American politics can be "exciting"...heh...

it got you to appear

[Welshcookie 17]

it got you to appear

I'm always here Charles!

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Old Paraplegic and Stepford Wife vs Gay Muslim and Foot in Mouth.

The UK could never beat that.

oh come on, no american politician has every died of auto-asphyxiation

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

oh come on, no american politician has every died of auto-asphyxiation

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

old news, but nothing beats a british sex scandal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Milligan

or toe sucking and having sex while wearing their Chelsea football top:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Mellor

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Mellor is one of the ugliest men alive. And his bit on the side wasn't best either.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

yeah - trying to picture that huffing and puffing in chelsea jersey.....some thoughts just can't be unthunk

[Peikko 1,575]

Is Clegg going to bed with Cameron? Seems like it

[Peikko 1,575]

Shirley does not like it

Lady Shirley Williams has become the first senior Liberal Democrat to break ranks and come out against the idea of her party striking a formal coalition deal with David Cameron, warning that it is not in the "Conservatives' DNA" to move properly in key areas.Speaking to the Guardian, she said she would prefer the Lib Dems to agree to vote through key Tory bills rather than become coalition partners.

Asked if she thought an alliance was a good idea, she said: "No. Instead I think it would be better for us to offer them 'confidence and supply' and let them govern as a minority government, coupled with cross-party work in two areas: we need swift cross-party action to bring down the deficit, and action on political reform."

She called for an all party committee on political reform, chaired or advised by the former MP Tony Wright, who left the House of Commons this year after chairing a respected committee on the reform of parliament and whose recommendations met with varied success including some of its elements opposed by the government.

She recommended that it should include the speaker and deputy speaker of the house, as well as Scottish MPs, and it should report within a month. Williams also thinks that any cross-party committee to bring down the deficit should be modelled on a proposal made by her in the run-up to the election, for a council for financial stability in which all parties work and on which economic spokesmen from all parties should be included.

Talks between the Lib Dems and the Conservatives began this morning at 11am in the Cabinet Office, after the leaders of the two parties met for a 70-minute conversation at Admiralty House last night. Yesterday, Nick Clegg took soundings from his parliamentary party and his federal executive – both groups whose support he would have to secure in a vote with a three-quarters majority if he were to take the Lib Dems into a coalition, or anything that endangered the party's independence. The Tory leader has so far managed without taking formal soundings from his party but he will meet them tomorrow evening.

While it is not a surprise that Williams, a former Labour minister, has come out against her party forming an official coalition with the Tories, her party has been very tightly whipped in the last 72 hours, with even normally outspoken MPs, such as the Lib Dem climate change spokesman, Simon Hughes, not speaking out publicly aginst a Lib-Con deal.

Williams was particularly concerned that there has so far been no talk of securing the composition of the United kingdom. She said: "I am very concerned that preventing the break-up of the union has played no part in the negotiation between the Tories and Lib Dems.

"The Tory party made no gains to speak of in Scotland in this election … and recently, the Tories have been talking almost entirely about England. My sense is that negotiations cannot conclude without it being made clear how to keep the nation together, because if we do make a deal with the Tories, we are handing Scotland to the SNP on a plate."

She went on: "I am also concerned about the Tories' record on equality. Inequality did widen during the years of New Labour but the record was even worse under the last Tory government, and I don't see much indication that this fact is being taken into account in these negotiations either."

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[Peikko 1,575]

Brown goes down!!!

We have a parliamentary system, not a presidential system, in this country.

As I said on Friday, with no party able to command a parliamentary majority arising from the general election, my constitutional duty as prime minister is to ensure government continues while parties explore options for forming a new administration with majority support in the House of Commons.

The business of government has continued, including concerted action in Europe today to avert the financial crisis in the euro area.

Alistair Darling, the chancellor, spent much of his time yesterday at the European finance ministers' meeting in Brussels.

This morning, I had conversations with the president of the European Council, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund and the president of the European Central Bank.

I have said I would do all I could to ensure that a stable, strong and principled government is formed, able to tackle Britain's economic and political challenges effectively.

As we know, the Liberal Democrats felt they should first talk to the Conservative party. Mr Clegg has just informed me that, while he intends to continue his dialogue that he has begun with the Conservatives, he now wishes also to take forward formal discussions with the Labour party.

I believe it is sensible and it is in the national interest to respond positively.

The cabinet will meet soon. A formal policy negotiating process is being established under the arrangements made by the cabinet secretary, similar to the negotiations between other parties.

The first priority should be an agreed deficit reduction plan to support economic growth and a return to full employment.

I know that both parties recognise the importance of ensuring economic stability in the markets and protecting Britain's standing and both are agreed on the need for a strong and full deficit reduction plan over the coming years.

There is also a progressive majority in Britain and I believe it could be in the interests of the whole country to form a progressive coalition government.

In addition to the economic priorities, in my view, only such a progressive government could meet the demand for political and electoral change which the British people made last Thursday.

Our commitments on a new voting system for the House of Commons and for the election of the House of Lords are clearly part of this.

I would however like to say something also about my own position.

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 assured 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. I will back no individual candidate.

I believe that the British people now want us to focus on the economy, the continuing fight against terrorism, the terrorist threat to our country.

They want us to continue to pursue the economic recovery, and I will do so with my usual vigour and determination, and I will do all in my power to support the British troops whose service and sacrifice create a debt of gratitude we can never fully repay.

And I believe on Thursday the country was also telling us that they want a new politics, and that the political reforms we seek will help deliver that change.

I now intend to facilitate the discussions that the Liberal Democratic party has asked for.

Thank you very much. As you will understand I will take no questions this evening. Other discussions can be had later.

Thank you very much.

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[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Good riddance Gordon, you complete tw@t.

[Peikko 1,575]

Good riddance Gordon, you complete tw@t.

Well, as resignations go, it's not exactly an immediate termination - I wonder who'll go for it? I wonder if the poison dwarf will have a go?

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Does this mean Cameron can form a minority government?