Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Matt Malone, S.J.May 06, 2010

As Big Ben strikes 4:00 a.m., we are getting a clearer picture of the electoral reality. We know that in all likelihood there will be a hung Parliament, a kind of political stalemate in which no one party has a majority in the House of Commons. We know that the Conservatives will have the most seats, followed by Labour in second place. We know that the media-blown bubble around the Liberal Democrats has burst: the standing of this perennial third party is no better nationally then at any time in the last twenty-five years, in spite of the hunger for change and the real excitement around its’ leader, Nick Clegg. We know that the Conservatives have not reached a majority because they have not been able to break through in the north of England and their near non-existence in Scotland continues.

The most likely scenario is that, in the end, the Conservatives will form a minority government, with David Cameron as Prime Minster. Yet anything could happen in the next few hours and even over the next couple of days, and when the picture is clearer, an update will post

One last note: Labour has held the seat in Rochdale where Gordon Brown made his infamous 'bigot gaffe' last week. Just one more surprise in an evening of them.

 

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

America’s editors on the ground in Rome discuss the latest conclave news and the work that remain for whoever is elected as Pope Francis’ successor.
JesuiticalApril 30, 2025
Much of what you hear about who the next pope will be, spoken with enormous confidence by people in the know, is often completely contradictory.
James Martin, S.J.April 30, 2025
Cardinals Rosa and Sako said they expect the conclave to be brief and last two to three days. While not revealing a name, Cardinal Sako said he already had a “very clear” idea of who he intended to vote for.
All 135 cardinals who are under the age of 80 and have not renounced the right to enter the conclave will have full voting rights.