What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

British Election 2010 - Jolly Good

Re: British Election 2010 - Jolly Good

Not much more to this thread other than to see who gets what in the coalition and eventually to see who ends up leading the Labour Party.

So far most of the main posts have predictably gone to Conservatives, in most cases simple promotions from their previous positions in the Shadow Cabinet. Liam Fox is the new Defense Secretary after 4.5 years as the Shadow Defense Secretary.

Shrewd move by Cameron to make a Lib Dem (Danny Alexander) the new Secretary of State for Scotland. The Tories were hammered in Scotland, coming in 4th place and retaining only their one seat there, but the Lib Dems have 11 seats in Scotland. The other Lib Dem cabinet seats thus far are Clegg as Deputy Prime Minister, and David Laws as Secretary of State for Children, Schools, and Families, replacing Ed Balls.

Speaking of Ed Balls, it has come out that the Lib Dems found his behavior during discussions with Labour to be "rude." If he torpedoed his party's chances of forming a coalition, he might have a short campaign for leader. But the understanding is that Clegg quickly found that Labour were being very inflexible - even less so than the Tories, which if true is pretty ridiculous considering the state of the bargaining position they were in.

The new Leader of the Opposition is Harriet Harman, as a caretaker until a new Labour leader is chosen.
 
Re: British Election 2010 - Jolly Good

Oh, we'll be back here in 12-18 months if not fewer. Europe will be one of several issues where this coalition will come apart pretty quickly.

As for Labour, they probably have more to gain if they cut their losses and regroup with a new leader. If they strike gold with a charismatic, capable pick and/or Cameron screws up, maybe they get back into power at the next election. If not, some time in the wilderness might help them. Given the challenges that Britain faces, one article posited that it might be better to not be in power at this point, rather than to have to make the unpopular decisions and face the heat for it.

As it is, had some sort of Lib/Lab coalition come to pass, it probably would have put the Tories in power with a landslide at the next election and a majority for a very long time.
 
Re: British Election 2010 - Jolly Good

3W said:
Oh, we'll be back here in 12-18 months if not fewer. Europe will be one of several issues where this coalition will come apart pretty quickly.
Click to expand...

Normally I'd agree and be skeptical on the claims of a five year government, but this looks like it's going to be passed through actual legislation. That might mean legislation fixing a date for the election (William Hague has already said that the next election will take place on May 7, 2015) and changing the rules for confidence votes. Then again, Canada supposedly now has a law fixing election dates, and that's been shown to be fairly worthless, so we'll have to wait and see. Bear in mind, as a keen observer of their elections, it wouldn't be in my best interest to see 5 years pass without another one. :p

From the Beeb:

We understand that under the new agreement for fixed-term parliaments, the only way to remove the government between elections would be a vote of no confidence with the support of 55% of MPs. At present, any no confidence vote requires only 50%, plus one MP.
Click to expand...

One of the reason I am not skeptical is that both sides seem to be very, very happy with the coalition. Hague described it as "the bulk of the Conservative manifesto combined with the very best of the Lib Dem manifesto." Nick Clegg looked genuinely happy with the arrangement even though he had to give up quite a bit, but given his position having lost seats in the Commons, that might have been where he was negotiating from. At times, the press conference was like a joint stand-up show. Cameron was asked if he regretted once saying Clegg was "his favorite joke". "I'm afraid I did say that once," he said. Clegg pretended to walk away in a mock huff, and Cameron shouted, "Come back!"

As for Labour, they probably have more to gain if they cut their losses and regroup with a new leader. If they strike gold with a charismatic, capable pick and/or Cameron screws up, maybe they get back into power at the next election. If not, some time in the wilderness might help them. Given the challenges that Britain faces, one article posited that it might be better to not be in power at this point, rather than to have to make the unpopular decisions and face the heat for it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, definitely don't underestimate the power of being in the minority as far as energizing the base is concerned. The Miliband brothers both seem charismatic and energetic, they might do well to choose one of them. Ed Balls is seen as a rising star but even if the rumors of him acting out yesterday are false, from what I've seen of him on TV he comes across as being overly sarcastic and petty even for a British pol.

As it is, had some sort of Lib/Lab coalition come to pass, it probably would have put the Tories in power with a landslide at the next election and a majority for a very long time.
Click to expand...

That was my guess, too. Labour, when it looked as though the Lib Dems were going to drop discussions with the Tories, repeatedly went on about how it was a parliamentary, not a presidential system, and that it was all about negotiations within Parliament to determine who would be PM, that the people don't choose the PM. While that's technically true, the people don't technically choose the President here either. The truth is, people do frequently vote in the UK based on who they want to be PM, and really, no one a Lib/Lab coalition could have put in as PM, be it Brown or someone else, would really have been acceptable, I don't think.

---------

More of my predictions coming true. I thought maybe IRV would work better than proportional representation for the Commons, word came out that IRV may come to a referendum. I thought maybe the Tories could bend a bit to the Lib Dems on Lords Reform and that proportional representation might work better there - and that has now been reported as being likely.

Vince Cable, who some thought might have become Chancellor under any coalition government if the Lib Dems had done better (and who's a very witty speaker, BTW), will be Business Secretary - akin to our Commerce Secretary, I take it.
 
Re: British Election 2010 - Jolly Good

I wonder if the fixed term agreement isn't a one-off attempt by the coalition members to steel themselves to what will probably be very bitter and unpopular decisions they'll have to make right out of the gate.

The analogy is what if the GOP and Dem leaders decided the only way to solve our debt crisis would be a "government of national unity" with a fixed term, to prevent the prisoner's dilemma that the moment either incumbent party moved to dramatically cut spending and raise taxes the other party would destroy them.

This might be far-fetched, but it's a theory. It seems to me to be amazing that the Brits would just throw out 300 years of Parliamentary practice seemingly on a whim.
 
Last edited:
Re: British Election 2010 - Jolly Good

Ed Balls has decided to stand for the Labour leadership.

Gentlemen, start your jokes.
 
Re: British Election 2010 - Jolly Good

3W said:
Ed Balls has decided to stand for the Labour leadership.

Gentlemen, start your jokes.
Click to expand...

Imagine how much different this race would have been if the Tories had delivered a huge kick to Balls in Morley & Outwood.
 
Re: British Election 2010 - Jolly Good

(I actually thought they were interchangeable terms. And Balls' borough sounds like it would hurt.)
 
Re: British Election 2010 - Jolly Good

Labour has got to be concerned about a taint of Brown around Balls.

OK, I'm done for the night. Please remember to tip your servers. :D
 
Re: British Election 2010 - Jolly Good

Tuesday is the State Opening of Parliament, which is a ceremony with much pomp and circumstance, including the Queen's Speech.

The first PMQ of the new Parliament will be on June 2, and it sounds like they're going to be slightly reworked. Traditionally, the third-largest party receives two questions for the PM, but since the Lib Dems are in government with the Tories, that leaves that slot wide open. The DUP is lobbying to get those questions, but they may have to share with the other minor parties, which used to all be together with a single question at the end.

Additionally, there is apparently going to be an informal "Deputy PMQ" run by Nick Clegg on Thursdays. As mentioned before, he'll fill in for Cameron during regular PMQ when he's not available. There's speculation that may occur in September when Cameron's wife gives birth.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top