Hung. And Drawn & Quartered?

On May 6th the U.K. had it's 2010 General Election to vote on whether Labour and Gordon Brown would continue in power or if a new Government and Prime Minister would take the reins.

As it turned out, and as widely predicted, there was a 'hung parliament' for the first time in thirty-six years. It would be a further week before the political dust settled...

The hung parliament result was, in part, due to there being a genuine third force in our Politics this time around - the Liberal Democrats.
But it wasn't hard to see why...

There had been a complete collapse of any trust the British Public had for Prime Minister Gordon Brown and disgust at the state of the Country under his Labour party: The recent recession. The related and painfully slow recovery.  The banking system and its failures. Other issues such as the MP's expenses row (connected to many politicians from many parties) led to a pretty pissed off public.
Thirteen Labour years ago things started with a bright future under Tony Blair and 'New' Labour, but thirteen years is a lifetime in politics, and Blair became BLiar.

The Conservatives, under David Cameron, felt it was their time, but Cameron is their fifth leader in those thirteen years of opposition, and the Tories have never really shown over those thirteen years whether with their policies, manifestos or party leaders. Until now.

However, outside of the stalwart Tory voters and the Conservative faithful, many simply didn't trust David Cameron. But that was fine, because even less trusted Gordon Brown, with Labour pulling less Seats than the Tories.

Labour's collapse led to the Conservative's gain, but the other side of the political coin is that in my neck of the woods the Tory's are usually hard pushed to buy a vote in Scotland, let alone earn one. That's been a hard political fact since the dark days of the Margaret Thatcher Governments which initiated the ill-conceived 'Poll Tax' (a flat rate 'community charge') in Scotland a year before it was implemented in England.
Thatcher also played a major part in the acceleration of the continued Industrial decline in Scotland, which led to the socioeconomic disorder still felt to this day.

2010 was the same old story for the Tories in Scotland - the most Seats won over the entire U.K., but one solitary Seat in Scotland.

And so to the Liberal Democrats under Nick Clegg, who have made great strides, and even some waves, in the months prior to the General Election.
However their own Manifesto and unknown qualities posed more questions than answers for most voters and they came a relatively distant third. But the votes they received did help to diminish and split the votes for the big two.

As regards my own political views and putting aside any debate or thoughts on Scottish Independence, I want to see a fully devolved Scottish Parliament.
That's in line with the policies and politics of The Scottish National Party.
But, unfortunately, I have problems with how they go about their business and certainly don't think SNP leader Alex Salmond is the man to lead the auld country into a new dawn.

However on the 11th May 2010 Labour were officially replaced as the party in power by the Conservatives when Gordon Brown resigned as Prime Minister and David Cameron replaced him - with the new Prime Minister immediately confirming a Coalition Government with the Liberal Democrats (as opposed to a Minority Government). Lib-Dem leader Nick Clegg became Deputy PM.

A Coaltition Government that has to balance their own political policies and views and a feeling of imbalance elsewhere - the First Minister of the Scottish Parliament is Alex Salmond and Labour won the majority of Scottish votes/ Seats during the Election.
But one of David Cameron's first decisions was to reduce all Ministers' salaries by 5% - a move that went down very well with Joe Public.

Early days, but I can't help feeling that up here North of the(ir) border the inevitable budget cuts and parliamentary decisions from Westminster may still see us Hung.
And Drawn. And Quartered.

Tory time will tell.

 
Ross Muir
May 2010