I had hoped that the Liberal Democrats would do much better than they did.
Britain faces the prospect of days of political turmoil at a time of major economic challenges after the first exit polls from Thursday’s U.K. election suggested that no party will emerge with overall control of parliament.
A poll sponsored by the BBC and other broadcasters suggested that the opposition Conservative Party would win 307 seats – falling short by 19 seats in its bid to win an outright majority. While exit polls have been fairly accurate in the last three U.K. elections, the 1992 exit poll predicted a hung parliament but the final results delivered a clear 21-seat majority for the Labor Party.
The exit poll indicated that the governing Labor Party will finish second, winning 255 seats, but had avoided the electoral oblivion many had predicted.
While the poll claimed that the centrist Liberal Democrats would lose seats rather than make their much anticipated breakthrough – a finding that left many experts casting doubt on the poll’s reliability – the party could find itself in an unprecedented and hugely influential position. The Tory leader David Cameron will probably need to woo the Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems) to join a coalition government and make him the next prime minister.
Without a major swing in the actual results, days of political horse-trading of the sort not seen in Britain since the 1970s appear to be on the cards. Small parties such as Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionists – which won nine seats – could also emerge as powerbrokers…
Inserted from <McClatchy DC>
Perhaps we should lend the UK the US Extreme Court. They love to decide elections.
While they are abroad, we could pass the Lieberman Bill, declare SCOTUS a terrorist organization, and strip them of their citizenship. 😉
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