Hung Parliament

[FunkyLeprechaun]

What do you think will happen? It sounds like Clegg is going towards forming a coalition with the Tories.

[Vicar In A Tutu]

1. He's going to talk to them first.

Yet senior Tories are saying "no PR under any circumstances".

So if Clegg goes with them, he destroys the Liberal Democrat party and turns it into a massive joke.

[LeftishBrit]

2. I think he's playing games.

I voted LibDem, but I'm not a mad fan of Clegg as an individual. Preferred Charlie Kennedy (despite his drinking habits) and even Ming Campbell.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

4. That's one of the things I don't really like about the UK elections

The party's principles, such as Lib Dem's, I could agree with and not the leader. If it wasn't for Brown's ineptness I'd have voted Labour. I'd prefer not to say, other than I voted for a party with an O in its name (it could be the Snout party!)

[FunkyLeprechaun]

3. On the other hand, if Clegg goes to Labour

It's still not enough to get a majority.

Are you watching the quirky Jeremy Vine segments? They're rather fun to watch!

[Anarcho-Socialist]

5. going through the motions perhaps

There's two potential governments right now, both minority:
Tory-UUP-DUP
Labour-LibDem-SDLP-Alliance Party

The former will struggle to put through a Queen's speech without Lib Dem or nationalist supply. The latter would also have to give something to Plaid/SNP to put through a Queen's Speech.

The Lib Dems are the key here and they may figure that putting together an anti-Tory rainbow coalition is not worth the hassle. They may provide confidence votes to the Tories in the hope that the Tory poll ratings go down in power. On the other hand the Tories might be awarded an overall majority at the next election if their minority government remains steady.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

8. Not sure about Alliance

They are very closely aligned with LibDem but siding with Sinn Fein somewhat.

I feel it's odd to say the way I voted counteracts with the way I would vote in NI, where my family is from (I'd have voted SDLP or Sinn Fein).

[fedsron2us]

6. Tricky for Clegg

since he did not deliver the Lib Dem electoral breakthrough in terms of seats that once seemed likely.

Ironically this weakens his ability to railroad his party into a coalition with the Tories even if this is his preferred option

Many Liberal Dems will be saying enough is enough with regard to the ludicruously unfair first past the post voting system. Either we get a referendum on reform which I am sure would make PR a reality or we refuse to participate in any deals. This is particularly pertinent as any incoming government is likley to be implementing financial cuts that may not play well with the voters. Why sign up to electoral suicide when you are getting very little in return. This means Clegg has to tread carefully or he may wind up as the ex leader of his party.

Also worth remembering that there is very litle love lost between Liberal democrats and Tories in local government

[FunkyLeprechaun]

7. I sympathised with LibDem but thought they'd be a weaker third party

I think LibDem has to accept some tory positions to become stronger and Tory accept some LibDem positions and go leftward.

[non sociopath skin]

9. There is no way Cameron is going to move leftwards.

He's already getting huge amounts of flak from the grandees in his party that he took the party too far left and that's why he failed.

If anybody gives it will have to be the Lib Dems. And they can kiss goodbye to their remaining Northern strongholds if they do ...

The Skin

[FunkyLeprechaun]

10. Oh Really?

I've read that the Tories would scrap the concept of the NHS then I'd read that Cameron was more forgiving of the NHS after his disabled son's treatment.

If it wasn't for Clegg's third party status and Brown's dundering, I'd have voted for either... Get Your Snout out of the Trough party may have gotten my vote :-)

[non sociopath skin]

11. Really.

The Skin

[FunkyLeprechaun]

12. Are you sure?

Because I wasn't entirely sure when I voted. As an American ex-pat (and British citizen by birth), I felt Labour was similar to Bush (took us to two wars, financial crises etc). I felt that Lib Dem couldn't do it despite the so-called "Clegg-mania" that was hyped by the press and it didn't come to frutition this election.

What I'd like to see is a Tory government being forced to go leftist in order to appease the LibDems.

[non sociopath skin]

13. Ain't gonna happen.

The Skin

[LeftishBrit]

14. A Tory government won't go leftist for the LibDems or for anyone

At most,they may be restricted in some of the right-wing policies that they can implement, because of the opposition of the other parties in a hung parliament.

But there are many powerful right-wingers in the party, both in parliament and in the media, and they consider Cameron too liberal *now*; they would never tolerate further moves to the left. Cameron will obey his right-wing masters, or they will replace him with someone else who will.

[craigmatic]

15. The coalition will fall apart when the tories start making cuts so its days are numbered.