As the secret talk between the LDs and the Tories continue it’s not far-fetched to suggest that Nick Clegg could be a cabinet minister this time tomorrow night. If indeed a deal has been done then we are entering a completely new period in UK politics which has risks for all the three party leaders. What I’ve found striking is the support that Clegg seems to be getting from Paddy Ashdown who still has a massive influence within the party….
Is he preparing for an early visit to the palace? Lots of things are going on behind the scenes but it is interesting, surely, that Gordon and Sarah are on their way back to London from Scotland after only flying there yesterday. Could it be that something is in the offing? Mike Smithson
Or is it too big a step for their parties to swallow? What a day Saturday was and, no doubt, it will continue throughout Sunday. Are the leaderships of both the Tories and Lib Dem going to be able to sell a deal to their parties that appears to run so much against the grain of both? For the very notion of a blue-yellow “common plan” as is it is now being called seems so alien to many in the…
This is from BPIX for tomorrow’s Mail on Sunday.
Should he have quit on Friday? A new YouGov poll tonight for the Sunday Times looks at how the public is viewing the current situation and has the above finding on what Brown should have done. I wonder whether he is causing damage to his party by trying to sit it out. I think we will look back at these times in amazement at the way that the rest of the Labour leadership is acquiescing in the situation. Meanwhile Smarkets…
Could he be out of Number 10 today? So while the moves continue on the formation of the next government the three leaders had to spend a few minutes in each other’s company at today VE celebration. How pointed that the BBC shot, featured above had Mr, Brown almost completely blanked out of the picture. There are lots of betting markets on what’s going to happen. Newcomer political betting exchange, Smarkets, has the following:- Number of LD cabinet ministers on…
Could last night’s phone call be crucial? A big development in the last few minutes is a report on the BBC of a conversation between Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg last night in which the prime minister’s approach was described as a diatribe and hardly conducive to possible future working. The source was a “prominent Lib Dem” who also said that the Clegg-Cameron talks had been convivial. It might be on such personal relationship issues that the future government might…
Can Cameron and Clegg conclude coalition concords? More than a day after the polls closed and still we’re barely any nearer knowing who will form the government as a result of yesterday’s election. The negotiations between the parties aren’t just a numbers game – complex enough though that is – they’re also a battle for legitimacy in the public mind. A Populus poll for The Times sheds a little light on that, with the three options put (Tory minority government,…