Brown Stands Down Merged

[Lucifer]

sounds like it's gone beyond that. lib/lab pact on the way by the sounds of it.

surely the numbers don't stack up - lib + lab + SNP + greens + AN others still doesn't add up to 326.

Yep, I would say that the Lib-Lab pact is already a done deal: thats why Gordons gone now.

My guess would be they'll try and get a vote through parliament (theoretically poossible given the numbers,

possibly unconstitutional but I can't see that worrying them) within the first 3 months (i.e before the pooh

really hits the fan) and then call a snap election in the belief that the new "progressive" majority will kick

the Tories out of touch for ever.

Its all desperately cynical and potentially catastrophic for the country and proves that Clegg really is Blair mark 2

and that he and the Labour party don't care a damn about anything but power.

Mandelslime's grubby paws are all over this...

Come rant with me http://www.newsofthepigs.blogspot.com/

[The Masked Tulip]

The tories, ukip and BNP got 41% of the national vote between them

The lib dems, labour and the greens got 53% of the vote between them. More of the population wants left wing government.

Plaid and SNP are also left of centre. I am not sure what Captain Beany's stance is but Peter Hain beat him anyhow.

Someone who was at that count said that Hain was more orange than Captain Beany. I can't believe it of course.

Edited May 10, 2010 by The Masked Tulip

[Buccaneer]

Dave and the conservatives have played an absolute blinder on this one.

Conservatives shown to be telling the truth about the hard times, ruling parties get the blame.

New election once it all hits the fan, Conservatives win majority even under PR as Labour and Lib Dems are wiped out.

100% spot on

[dhpcza]

Tell me, what percentage of the population voted for conservatives and Lib Dem?? Wasn't that the whole point when Clegg said he'd approach the Tories first?

So he approaches the tories, and if they don't make the required concessions, then what? The left wing has a larger share of the vote in this country, that is a fact.

I voted lib dem and don't care for tory or labour, just to disclose my position.

[shindigger]

Liberal MPs talking enthusiastically about a Lib/Lab/Progressive coalition.

They are seeing their careers saved.

I doubt that would be the case in the south west.

Not a lot of red down there. They will ALL go blue next time.

[bear-curious]

Why can't the Tories just have a minority government without the Lib dems?

They can and would, if Brown fails to form a government.

But he now thinks he can form a happy-clappy broad kirk of monomaniacal sectarians, bringing them together around the promise of his own act of political harakiri, at some point in the near future.

Clegg just better make sure he gets that promise of electoral reform nailed down in negotiation, and put into writing, and the chaos of the next few years might just be worth it.

[erat_forte]

The tories, ukip and BNP got 41% of the national vote between them

The lib dems, labour and the greens got 53% of the vote between them. More of the population wants left wing government.

What are you like?

[TimD]

Worth bearing in mind.

2005 election Labour got 35.3% of the vote.

2010 election Conservative got 36.1% of the vote.

[erat_forte]

#

1818: GORDON BROWN QUITS: Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg says Mr Brown has made an important decision, which must have been "difficult". His party will keep talks open with the Tories and Labour, he tells Sky News.

[shindigger]

A Lib/Lab pact is actually the ideal outcome for HPC...

They need ALL the labour MPs, ALL the lib dem MPs and they still don't have a majority. So they need the Welsh and Scottish nationalists and that bint from the Greens. The resulting coalition will have all the stability of the Eiffel tower standing on its point! For every single measure they try to get through parliament there will be special interests to placate and awkward squad labour backbenchers wanting favours. Dennis Skinner (Beast of Bolsover) must be creaming himself right now - when it all hangs on one vote he'll be the one they can't get. Paralysis of government will occur.

And with an unstable government comes jittery markets which won't buy bonds and start shorting sterling. The government will need to slash spending to the bone, there will be strikes, marches, riots even. The BoE will need to raise interest rates to fend off sterling predators. (Btw, I notice today was a HOLD at 0.5%, largely unreported.)

Please, please, give me a lib/lab pact. The chaos will be awesome to behold.

Correct.

November election.

Lib Dems wiped out in southern England.

****** em.

Landslide.

[K.O. Johnny]

So he approaches the tories, and if they don't make the required concessions, then what? The left wing has a larger share of the vote in this country, that is a fact.

I voted lib dem and don't care for tory or labour, just to disclose my position.

The answer is 59%

I voted Lib dem, but in my constituency they had a chance to oust labour and that's exactly what I wanted - what I don't want is Clegg going to the Tories and the tail wagging the dog.

Just because the tories are cut out, the rag tag nature of the coalition of all the losers isn't necessarily left wing, DUP for instance

[Nickolarge]

Looks a distinct possibility that the last Tory PM in my lifetime will be John Major

What a fitting epitaph.

[dhpcza]

What are you like?

Ok, very clever, get into the semantics of this all you want. (and i do kind of agree, there isn't a truly left wing representative, but thats another conspiracy. I'm sure the free marketeers among us think there is no truly right wing representative either, we can argue semantics all day).

But the for purposes of this thread/discussion, the tories, ukip and bnp are to the right of the political spectrum, the labour party, lib dems and greens to the left.

On that basis, the majority share of the vote falls onto what most of the population at large believe to be a left-wing vote.

[RichM]

I'm in some crazy Jacob's Ladder-style nightmare, but more psychedelic. What the hell is happening???

[EnuffZNuff]

He's giving up as leader of the Labour party in August. That means we'll have another economic crisis in the summer, forcing him to stay in power just a little bit longer. Possibly another 5 years.

+1 - I think so this is the ploy. It ain't over till the fat ******* squeals

[jfk]

I doubt Cameron would survive - Tories tend to turn on their failed leader rapidly and the move two steps to the right.

Cameron has around 100 new MP's who won their seats under his banner, I doubt/hope they would turn on him quickly. Also he seems to have a a strong mandate from many senior Conservative MP's atm.

Heseltine, Redwood, Tebbit et al may have voice but I don't think they have the power they used to.

[Mr Yogi]

I'm really puzzled by all these LibDem MPs coming out ad saying they don't want to do a deal with the Tories. Surely the whole point of the LibDems is to win the balance of power and use it in the most effective way.

If they are saying that they only want to work with Labour, why don't they just join the Labour Party?

[EnuffZNuff]

The tories, ukip and BNP got 41% of the national vote between them

The lib dems, labour and the greens got 53% of the vote between them. More of the population wants left wing government.

Not south of the border matey. Cut scotland loose.

[Nickolarge]

Worth bearing in mind.

2005 election Labour got 35.3% of the vote.

2010 election Conservative got 36.1% of the vote.

Worth bearing in mind that with a maximum of about 42% support on one of their better days and no other viable right wing parties to team up with, the Tories will only ever get a short term share of power once in a blue moon under a true PR system.

[Dave Spart]

Yes, I heard this reported on the news also...

That is funny!

Thatcher must be close to death's door with all this!!

Edited May 10, 2010 by Dave Spart

[euroconv]

So, Gordo as PM until the party feels like having a leadership election which will be after the <insert major terrorist/economic crisis/ official state of emergency here> is over.

So he gets to stay in power and the cash machines stop working.

Don't give up easily do they?

Edited May 10, 2010 by euroconv

[RichM]

I doubt that would be the case in the south west.

Not a lot of red down there. They will ALL go blue next time.

Yes.

The lib dem party is an ideological mess. It will split if this goes through, its voter base is not that strong anyway - without Clegg's debate appearances they would have fared even worse in the election.

Bring it on. When Brown's recovery fails to materialise people won't forget what happened today.

[The Masked Tulip]

I'm in some crazy Jacob's Ladder-style nightmare, but more psychedelic. What the hell is happening???

LMAO!

[dhpcza]

The answer is 59%

I voted Lib dem, but in my constituency they had a chance to oust labour and that's exactly what I wanted - what I don't want is Clegg going to the Tories and the tail wagging the dog.

Just because the tories are cut out, the rag tag nature of the coalition of all the losers isn't necessarily left wing, DUP for instance

But the tories and the lib dems are diametrically opposed; you might aswell say that labour and the tories make up 65% of the vote, therefore that should be the coalition government. The opposition of ideologies is what will probably scupper any alliance between the tories and the lib dems. It does make more sense for the left to align with the left and the right to align with the right.

Most tory voters didn't vote for lib dem policy and most lib dem voters didn't vote for tory policy either. Again, it makes more sense for the left wing and right winge parties to co-operate together, in any kind of power share. And again I say, the parties that voters perceive to be left wing (labour, lib dems, greens) has a larger share of the vote than the parties who voters perceive to be right-wing (tories, ukip, BNP).

[Gone baby gone]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8672859.stm

Gordon Brown 'stepping down as Labour leader'

Gordon Brown has said he is stepping down as Labour Party leader - as his party opens formal talks with the Lib Dems about forming a government.

Mr Brown, prime minister since 2007, said he hoped a successor as Labour leader would be in place by September.

The Lib Dems have been negotiating for days with the Tories - who won the most seats and votes in the UK election.

But the Lib Dems have asked for formal talks with Labour. Mr Brown said it was in the "national interest" to respond.

Mr Brown's statement will be seen as a move to smooth the way to a deal between Labour and the Liberal Democrats to form a government.

BBC political editor Nick Robinson said it was an audacious bid by Mr Brown to keep Labour in power - and himself in power for a limited period.

Voters' judgement

It comes after further talks between the Tory and Lib Dem negotiating teams and another meeting between Tory leader David Cameron and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg.

Mr Clegg's team then talked through options with Lib Dem MPs, who urged them to continue to listen to Labour, while seeking further clarification from the Tories about key areas of policy.

Meanwhile Mr Cameron is meeting Conservative MPs and the Cabinet is meeting in Downing Street.

In his statement, Mr Brown said Britain had a "parliamentary and not presidential system" and said there was a "progressive majority" of voters.

...continues...