The wind of change might blow in U.K politics

A string of eve-of-election opinion polls gave David Cameron’s Conservatives a clear lead over Labor and the Liberal Democrats, but suggested that the Tories will not reach the level of support they need to claim an overall majority in the House of Commons. In an earlier understanding of the impending, possible change in the political […]

A string of eve-of-election opinion polls gave David Cameron’s Conservatives a clear lead over Labor and the Liberal Democrats, but suggested that the Tories will not reach the level of support they need to claim an overall majority in the House of Commons.

In an earlier understanding of the impending, possible change in the political structure, Brown vowed to “play my part in Britain having a strong, stable” government and indicated he would seek an alliance with the Liberal Democrats, pledging action on election reform — a key demand of his would-be partners.

The system as it were, makes it possible that any British election that produces no clear winner, political convention allows the incumbent the first attempt to form a government. He has more than a week to hold talks aimed at reaching a pact with the other smaller parties.

Brown said Friday he had asked senior civil servants to begin the formal process of aiding negotiations between parties. Politicians and mandarins have been rehearsing for a hung Parliament scenario in hopes of avoiding market-wobbling uncertainty.

In trying to put the strength of the candidates, the final newspaper polls of the campaign all put Conservatives in the lead with support ranging between 35% and 37%. The other two parties were vying for second place, with Labour apparently edging slightly ahead on 28%-29% and the Liberal Democrats on 26%-28%.

On an even swing, the figures would make the Tories the largest party, with between 268 and 294 seats in the House of Commons, but leave them well short of the 326 MPs Mr Cameron needs to lead a majority administration.

The polls suggest Labour could emerge with around 248-274 MPs, with the Liberal Democrats holding the balance of power on 77-82 seats.

But much will depend on performance in individual constituencies, particularly the 100 or so Labour/Conservative marginals which hold the key to tonight’s result and where the fiercest battles have been fought.

Strategists believe that an unusually large number of voters will only make their minds up when they get into the polling booths, adding an additional layer of uncertainty to the result.

There is a fundamental change taking place in British politics; a seismic shift that is likely to draw the UK closer than ever to Europe and alter the country’s political landscape forever

The Conservatives are ignoring the impact of devolution, however. Their campaign has focused on scare-mongering, with the claim that a hung parliament would paralyze the UK economy. They say the markets would not be able to cope with the period of uncertainty in which the parties would battle it out to form a government

The Conservatives also point to the supposed instability that coalition governments create. They say Belgium’s latest regime collapsed after just five months and that Italy has had 60 governments since World War II

The frequency of single-party majorities in the UK has helped create a political culture where elections are portrayed as winner-takes-all battles between two great political tribes. The British majoritarian system has always been distinct from the more consensual democracies that are found in other parts of Europe.

 The recent increase in support for the Lib Dems illustrates the demise of this two-party domination however, and it is a clear sign that the electorate wants change. A hung parliament would be a real opportunity to put an end to the executive domination that currently characterizes the Westminster system. This ‘Europeanisation’ of the British model seems the perfect way to revitalise UK politics. The frequency of single-party majorities in the UK has helped create a political culture where elections are portrayed as winner-takes-all battles between two great political tribes.

The British majoritarian system has always been distinct from the more consensual democracies that are found in other parts of Europe. The recent increase in support for the Lib Dems illustrates the demise of this two-party domination however, and it is a clear sign that the electorate wants change.

Mr. Brown has suffered several tough setbacks during the campaign: he was widely viewed to have come third in the final television debate; polls suggested Labour could be on the brink of their worst electoral defeat since 1918; Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem leader, described him as a “desperate” politician; and, today, his close ally Ed Balls has said tactical voting might be needed to fight off the Tories in marginal seats

A focus on the three strong contenders in the British Elections

In British general elections voters consider local candidates but cannot directly vote for Prime Minister. The candidates on offer are selected by party membership and voter appeal is often given precedence over other virtues. Like any employer the British public should also consider the suitability of the candidates for the top job before casting their local vote.

A Gifted Child

Following Labour’s devastating defeat in 1983 Gordon Brown and Tony Blair found themselves sharing an office at Westminster. The pair were soon promoted to Neil Kinnock’s shadow cabinet and New Labour’s journey began. Brown was considered smarter and more of a Labour man than Blair but following John Smith’s death in 1994 Brown deferred his personal leadership ambitions in favour of the more charismatic Blair. After Labour victory in 1997 Brown took control of the treasury and immediately issued a two year public spending freeze.

As Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s fiscal stimulus approach to the credit crunch has been in line with other European leader’s actions and has won support abroad whilst receiving heavy criticism at home.

“Maybe you think it’s because I’m the guy who doesn’t take no for an answer, and you’re right; I don’t.” Gordon Brown Speech Labour Conference October 2009

Since becoming an M.P. David Cameron has held appointments as shadow minister to the Privy Council, opposition local government spokesman, shadow cabinet minister for policy co-ordination and shadow education secretary. After Michael Howard’s 2005 election defeat and resignation as Tory leader Dave Cameron formally announced his candidacy receiving support from Boris Johnson, George Osborne and William Hague. A speech at the 2005 Tory conference vowing to make people like Conservatives again did much to lift his profile and Cameron romped to victory in the leadership elections. He describes himself as a “liberal conservative” and recently declared his readiness for the job of sustaining the economic recovery.

International Experience

Multi-lingual Nick Clegg is the youngest of the contenders. From Westminster School he studied anthropology at Cambridge. He started out as a journalist in New York as intern under Christopher Hitchens at The Nation and won the Financial Times David Thomas Prize for Journalism in 1993. After a year in Hungary writing about the impact of economic reform in the Eastern Bloc, Clegg moved to the European Commission in Paris managing aid projects in Central Asia. He was then recruited by Vice President of the EC Leon Brittan to act as a trade negotiator with China and Russia.

As Gordon Brown cling to power, his Labour Party have pulled off one of the most unlikely political comebacks in modern times.

This British election has already been historical. The country’s first-ever television debates offered Clegg rare equal billing with Brown and Cameron, and he shined — combining his telegenic, friendly manner with sharp attacks on his rivals and the country’s electoral system