h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Mathematically, the Tories won't have a majority, Vip. They'll have to get through on three line whips and intermittent support from the minor parties.

For somebody who works in the soon-to-be-hacked-away-at public sector, switching back to a career track in elections administration might be a good move right now ... referendum on electoral reform, another general election ...

Mol
(who had worried dreadfully about having to deal with a queue of people at 9.55pm, and in fact only had to deal with almost zero electors between 9 and 10pm)

I had the horror of having to choose between the TV and the web last night as I don't have a laptop and my computer is 2 floors up from the television. I had a brief glance at Facebook last night when I grew tired of the silly celebrities on the boat, but that was it.

Very pleased for Lucas and the Greens, but very surprised that the Liberal Democrat result is so much at variance with what the campaign might have led us to expect. I have also been surprised to see how much the swings have varied even in adjacent seats.

I got home at 11, sort of listened to R4 while cooking dinner, watched the last hour or so of Channel 4, and drifted off to R4 at about 2. I think I left the radio on all night, although I'm not sure as it would have come on again anyway at 7.15. I'm a bit peeved I've missed my own constituency's result cos I was looking forward to seeing it - it was very, very hard to hand over my ballot boxes and walk away from the count last night.

Although - they weren't expecting to declare until about 6am, and as I'd been up since 5.30, and was feeling quite middle-aged by the close of poll, it's probably just as well I came home.

When I was very young, I read a Jeffrey Archer book - First Among Equals. And I'm now reminded very strongly of the final scene, where the King summons the fictitious equivalent of David Cameron to the Palace, to explain why he's appointing Nick Clegg as Prime Minister.

Mol

I had a experience with that book - I once found a Danish translation of it. Which had only three politicians in it and a different winner in the end compared to the UKian version that I had just read at the time...

The guy in the bookstore went pretty about it when I told him.

My hope would be that it somehow would end up in an electoral reform over there - it seems to me that there's a lot of grumbling about unfairness and lost votes and no incentive to vote kind of thing (yes, I read The Independent on Wednesday )

It's quite possible that it wasn't a translation, Santra, but was in fact the original book which gave JA the idea

Yes. I hope we have woken up to a brave new world in which our political and electoral systems get a thorough overhaul. Reforming the unelected house of Lords is not the fundamental issue, despite what all the 'save my seat' politicians would have us believe.

But I suspect we will just have yet another first past the post election in the autumn. Sigh.

Mol

A hung parliament is the opportunity for politics to become fun again, Minority groups suddenly have a level of power well beyond the number of there MP's.

Regardless of any pacts between parties individual MP's will feel far more free to rebel over issues they feel strongly about.

Ben
I disagree with you on the subject of tatical voting, I think the public will always pick there own way regardless.

Mol

I think the chances of an Autumn re-run will depend on whether the push for electoral reform takes hold.

If electoral reform is going to happen I suspect that a coalition would try to hang around long enough to get the revised system in place.

Well, I was heartened to hear Neil Kinnock arguing in favour of PR. But I'm not certain the push for electoral reform will take enough hold.

On the plus side, if they're all busy arguing about this, perhaps we can just get on with our lives without government interference and 'new initiatives' for a few months.

Mol

How is Dimblby still going?

Did he go all through the night as well?

Mol

Scotland is looking red and orange with a smattering of yellow, one seat still not confirmed though.

oh yeah and there's one tory mp up here

mini

Dimbleby is a robot, albeit a somewhat tetchy one.

I am choosing to remain hopeful about both electoral reform and the possibility of the politicians choosing to do the best that they can with the current situation and do what's best. Someone must have put my drink into a rose coloured glass today.

Sorry for double-posting, but there's a heartening account from a polling clerk on the BBC news site:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8668043.stm

Mol, I think you and others involved with making sure we get to have our say do a fantastic job.

Incidently, I'm not sure the Lob Dems did as badly as all that. Weren't they expecting quite a hefty loss before the campaign opened?

Yep, he did Mol. Although he has been home to Mr. Grumpy all night "Oh look, cars. I do love watching videos of cars going down motorways", was a highlight for me.

He really took against the Clegg's Lelandii too.

Ihave to admit there were some childish sniggers in our house up "Clegg being in a good position between two bushes".

And the LD's hold Cheltenham. Their Seat of Shame. I'm pleased about that, having lived there at the time of the last election.

>> "Clegg being in a good position between two bushes".

Ah yes, that would be "well, I've slept with lot's of people" Clegg wouldn't it? Bless him...