Politics, bloody hell. For those waking up this morning and seeing vast swathes of England stay blue and Scotland transformed from a sea of Labour red into SNP yellow, it was all a bit unbelievable. From the early exit polls last night suggesting a significant Conservative lead, to the defeats of Messrs Balls, Farage, Cable and both Danny and Douglas Alexander, no one would have thought it possible even yesterday afternoon.
As one Glaswegian pensioner will reap the rewards of his £30,000 bet on a Conservative majority at 7/1 odds, Liberal Democrats will be pondering what next following their party’s devastation in the polls and its remaining contingent within the Commons. Nick Clegg, who clung on to his seat in Sheffield Hallam, now finds himself among only 8 Lib Dem MPs on the green benches. Politics may be poorer without the expertise of now former MPs and ministers Steve Webb and Ed Davey, but perhaps more importantly, the depth in future leadership talent and diversity is diminished. The Lib Dems is now a motley crew of eight white men. Additionally, the belief that Lib Dem MPs were always the most effective and best at entrenching MPs into seats, now seems apocryphal as the South West and Northern Scotland seats voted the incumbents out. There will be many questions for the new leader, possibly Tim Farron or Norman Lamb, but perhaps first it will be establishing what the party represents and how does engage with voters again?
If history decides to remember Nick Clegg and coalition, then it may yet judge the administration, relationships and day-to-day workings kindly, yet the bloodbath inflicted on the junior partner may set a precedent for future coalitions and whether parties will be happy to put the national interest first in return for electoral annihilation.
And what of Labour? For Ed Miliband, who managed to confound critics and commentators up until polling day, there will naturally be questions to whether he decides to remain in Parliament, represent the people of Doncaster North from the backbenches or support the next Labour administration from within the Shadow Cabinet. Questions have already been asked of polling data, but it appears as The Times’s leader writer and former Tony Blair speech writer Philip Collins points out, the truths of being behind in the polls on economic credibility and leadership remain true. When undecided voters went to the polling stations, they thought hard and they voted against a leftist government led by Miliband. Labour may have been able to energise activists, but the strategy fell flat on the doorsteps. Scotland, once the home of Labour and the talent that served in Westminster is no more. The Independence referendum only highlighted the open wound that Labour ultimately relied upon, yet neglected. The insurgent SNP, who had an average 1500 activists in every seat, represented something different, had done their homework and had two ebullient leaders in Salmon and Sturgeon.
The next leader will now be decided, but who will be best in attempting to soothe voters north of the border, if possible. As well as the challenge from UKIP as traditional Labour voters in northern constituencies endorsed the anti-EU party instead of the party of their parents. Similar to the Lib Dems there are questions about how to engage voters as well as having policies and messages on immigration, the economy and the EU. Most importantly people will ask whether the party concludes that electoral defeat shifts the party further left or to the centre.
For UKIP, a party that in spite of taking 12 per cent of the vote, it comes away with one MP, the libertarian and non-stereotypical Ukipper Douglas Carswell. It’s greater cause remains around Britain’s membership in Europe, but it may be banging the drum for proportional representation, a system that could have seen it return more than 80 MPs if it had been in place yesterday. While the party may now point to the next General Election in 2020, what will the party look like if there is no Nigel Farage to lead? While more money and administration could potentially help it cross the line in many seats, do the likes of Suzanne Evans or Paul Nuttall have the personality and ability to speak to the electorate as Nigel did? An incredible return from the anti-EU party, but undoubtedly frustration as the share of the vote has no impact on its MP numbers.
The biggest constitutional question of a generation reopens and just as Parliament kicked out George Galloway, it welcomes another firebrand in former SNP leader Alex Salmond. One question is how the party will work when it comes to voting through legislation? Will it slow the process down and frustrate the Conservative government? What role will individual MPs play on select committees? Many of its returning MPs, one who is 20, have no prior political experience. How will they adapt to life in Parliament? How will the relationship work between Westminster MPs and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon? The party’s transformation since arguably its nadir only eight months ago has changed how we think of politics, how it is conducted but also where power now lies and will lie in future. What can and will Scottish unionist voters do? Whether this Parliament sows the seeds or cements the end of the United Kingdom, the SNP will most certainly be playing on the day-to-day workings of Parliament.
For the Conservatives, David Cameron can remove the chip of his shoulder that his party had failed to win a majority since 1992. While some may point out that Cameron would prefer to rule as part of a coaltion, something the PM would of course deny, he will now find that many enemies to the right of his party will keep their mouths firmly shut for a few months or years. The win will allow him to fill all ministerial posts with colleagues who previously were passed over for Lib Dems MPS. This for many is an opportunity to build a Conservative alliance and demonstrate that the party remains a broad church. Other will wait for fractions as working with a tiny majority and the debate on Europe comes to a crux. In truth, it's a debate for another day and a nice problem to have.
This election was forecast to be boring and likely to be drawn out for months. Yet, today's news has shown nothing further than how fascinating yet brutal politics can be. A fantastic day, yet with so much to consider in the coming months, it will only get more interesting as the battles start again.
As one Glaswegian pensioner will reap the rewards of his £30,000 bet on a Conservative majority at 7/1 odds, Liberal Democrats will be pondering what next following their party’s devastation in the polls and its remaining contingent within the Commons. Nick Clegg, who clung on to his seat in Sheffield Hallam, now finds himself among only 8 Lib Dem MPs on the green benches. Politics may be poorer without the expertise of now former MPs and ministers Steve Webb and Ed Davey, but perhaps more importantly, the depth in future leadership talent and diversity is diminished. The Lib Dems is now a motley crew of eight white men. Additionally, the belief that Lib Dem MPs were always the most effective and best at entrenching MPs into seats, now seems apocryphal as the South West and Northern Scotland seats voted the incumbents out. There will be many questions for the new leader, possibly Tim Farron or Norman Lamb, but perhaps first it will be establishing what the party represents and how does engage with voters again?
If history decides to remember Nick Clegg and coalition, then it may yet judge the administration, relationships and day-to-day workings kindly, yet the bloodbath inflicted on the junior partner may set a precedent for future coalitions and whether parties will be happy to put the national interest first in return for electoral annihilation.
And what of Labour? For Ed Miliband, who managed to confound critics and commentators up until polling day, there will naturally be questions to whether he decides to remain in Parliament, represent the people of Doncaster North from the backbenches or support the next Labour administration from within the Shadow Cabinet. Questions have already been asked of polling data, but it appears as The Times’s leader writer and former Tony Blair speech writer Philip Collins points out, the truths of being behind in the polls on economic credibility and leadership remain true. When undecided voters went to the polling stations, they thought hard and they voted against a leftist government led by Miliband. Labour may have been able to energise activists, but the strategy fell flat on the doorsteps. Scotland, once the home of Labour and the talent that served in Westminster is no more. The Independence referendum only highlighted the open wound that Labour ultimately relied upon, yet neglected. The insurgent SNP, who had an average 1500 activists in every seat, represented something different, had done their homework and had two ebullient leaders in Salmon and Sturgeon.
The next leader will now be decided, but who will be best in attempting to soothe voters north of the border, if possible. As well as the challenge from UKIP as traditional Labour voters in northern constituencies endorsed the anti-EU party instead of the party of their parents. Similar to the Lib Dems there are questions about how to engage voters as well as having policies and messages on immigration, the economy and the EU. Most importantly people will ask whether the party concludes that electoral defeat shifts the party further left or to the centre.
For UKIP, a party that in spite of taking 12 per cent of the vote, it comes away with one MP, the libertarian and non-stereotypical Ukipper Douglas Carswell. It’s greater cause remains around Britain’s membership in Europe, but it may be banging the drum for proportional representation, a system that could have seen it return more than 80 MPs if it had been in place yesterday. While the party may now point to the next General Election in 2020, what will the party look like if there is no Nigel Farage to lead? While more money and administration could potentially help it cross the line in many seats, do the likes of Suzanne Evans or Paul Nuttall have the personality and ability to speak to the electorate as Nigel did? An incredible return from the anti-EU party, but undoubtedly frustration as the share of the vote has no impact on its MP numbers.
The biggest constitutional question of a generation reopens and just as Parliament kicked out George Galloway, it welcomes another firebrand in former SNP leader Alex Salmond. One question is how the party will work when it comes to voting through legislation? Will it slow the process down and frustrate the Conservative government? What role will individual MPs play on select committees? Many of its returning MPs, one who is 20, have no prior political experience. How will they adapt to life in Parliament? How will the relationship work between Westminster MPs and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon? The party’s transformation since arguably its nadir only eight months ago has changed how we think of politics, how it is conducted but also where power now lies and will lie in future. What can and will Scottish unionist voters do? Whether this Parliament sows the seeds or cements the end of the United Kingdom, the SNP will most certainly be playing on the day-to-day workings of Parliament.
For the Conservatives, David Cameron can remove the chip of his shoulder that his party had failed to win a majority since 1992. While some may point out that Cameron would prefer to rule as part of a coaltion, something the PM would of course deny, he will now find that many enemies to the right of his party will keep their mouths firmly shut for a few months or years. The win will allow him to fill all ministerial posts with colleagues who previously were passed over for Lib Dems MPS. This for many is an opportunity to build a Conservative alliance and demonstrate that the party remains a broad church. Other will wait for fractions as working with a tiny majority and the debate on Europe comes to a crux. In truth, it's a debate for another day and a nice problem to have.
This election was forecast to be boring and likely to be drawn out for months. Yet, today's news has shown nothing further than how fascinating yet brutal politics can be. A fantastic day, yet with so much to consider in the coming months, it will only get more interesting as the battles start again.
