After three days of hard bargaining with Nick Clegg, the obstacles in his path were being cleared one by one and negotiations with the Liberal Democrats appeared to be entering their final phase. But while Mr Cameron was looking the other way, Gordon Brown and Mr Clegg had made a secret agreement that could deny the Tory leader the ultimate prize.
By the end of the day, the seemingly impossible was looking all too probable: a Labour-Lib Dem coalition that would see Mr Brown cling to power for a few more precious months and Mr Cameron becoming the latest in a long line of politicians who thought, fatally, that they could get rid of the MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.
Only Mr Clegg can know for sure what was going through his mind when he left his house at 9.57am, saying that he and Mr Cameron were “working flat out” to reach a deal that would “stand the test of time”. The Daily Telegraph understands that, during the course of the morning, the Lib Dems contacted Downing Street to say they wanted to hold formal talks with Gordon Brown, indicating that a Tory-Lib Dem coalition might already have been dead in the water.
That information was kept secret, however, from the Tory and Lib Dem negotiators who gathered around a table at the Cabinet Office on Whitehall at 10am. The mood music was far more positive than it had been the day before and, as he went into the building, William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, felt bold enough to tell journalists he was “optimistic” that the talks would end successfully.
The negotiations were going well, he said, and the parties had got to the stage of discussing specific ideas and proposals.
By 10.36, the Lib Dems were briefing the media on a “positive and constructive” phone conversation between Mr Clegg and Mr Cameron. An hour later, a chipper Mr Hague said the two sides had “made further progress” as he left the Cabinet Office to report back to Mr Cameron.
“The negotiating teams are working really well together,” he added. His optimism was mirrored by the Lib Dem negotiator Danny Alexander, who spoke of “good progress”. But as the negotiators were leaving the Cabinet Office, Mr Clegg arrived in Parliament, where he held a secret meeting with Mr Brown at 11am. The two men agreed that they would speak again after a meeting of Lib Dem backbenchers scheduled to take place during the afternoon.
Mr Cameron, having arrived in Parliament with Alan Duncan, the shadow prisons minister, made his way to the Commons tea room to make himself available to any Tory MPs who wanted to discuss the Tory-Lib Dem deal. It was a gesture intended to answer critics who accused the Tory leader of running a clique and excluding many of his own MPs, and was perhaps a sign of how close he thought he was to the endgame.
By lunchtime, the Tories were exuding so much confidence in the likelihood of a deal that rumours began to sweep Westminster that Mr Brown was about to tender his resignation. TV news stations put their helicopters on standby to film Mr Brown’s car making its historic journey to Buckingham Palace to signal the end of 13 years of Labour government.
By 1pm, opinion among Mr Cameron’s top team had hardened to such a degree that a planned meeting of the shadow cabinet was brought forward from 4pm to 2pm. Tory backbenchers believed it was a sure signal that a deal was about to be done, and that confirmation of a Cameron-led government would come before the day was out.
The shadow cabinet meeting broke up around 2.45pm but, for the first time, concern began to spread in the Tory ranks. A meeting of Lib Dem backbenchers, which had started at lunchtime, was still going on hours later. Something was amiss.
Tory fears were confirmed at 4pm when David Laws, the Lib Dem schools spokesman, announced that the MPs wanted “clarification” from the Tories on issues of education funding, fairer taxes and voting reform.
Minutes later, Simon Hughes, the Lib Dem energy spokesman, said he would be “surprised” if a deal was done by the end of the day, adding: “I’m sure there will be a government by the end of the week.”
As Mr Laws was briefing the press, Mr Clegg was on the phone to Mr Cameron. The price of a deal had suddenly risen dramatically, and Mr Clegg now wanted a formal coalition with Lib Dems in Cabinet positions, rather than a Bill-by-Bill agreement, which the talks had centred on until then. What happened next on the steps of Downing Street could go down in history as the moment the premiership slipped from Mr Cameron’s grasp. What is certain is that Mr Brown had become increasingly convinced over the course of the weekend that the Tory-Lib Dem talks would break down, with electoral reform an unbridgeable divide between the two sides, and had been waiting for an opportunity to drive a wedge between them.
Talks between the Lib Dems and Labour on Saturday were viewed with scepticism by the public. But the Lib Dems were impressed with the big-hitting team which met them: Ed Balls, Lord Mandelson, Ed Miliband and Lord Adonis. Crucially, on policy issues there was almost total consensus, and Labour had been willing to give much more ground on electoral reform.
Before the election campaign began, Mr Brown had been pondering a “one more year” strategy to keep the Tories out by appealing to the public to allow him to steer Britain through the worst of the economic crisis.
On Sunday, Mr Brown met Mr Clegg face to face. He decided to show his hand by promising to resign after a year if Mr Clegg agreed to share power. Mr Clegg said no and Mr Brown’s attempt to cling to power appeared to be all played out. But before he could resign, the Lib Dems contacted Labour seeking another meeting. Mr Clegg, it seemed, had changed his mind, and might be willing to reach a compromise deal if Mr Brown announced his decision to step down by October, allowing formal talks between Labour and the Lib Dems to begin.
Despite the public pronouncements of a Tory-Lib Dem deal being close, it seems that Mr Clegg never had any intention of shaking hands with Mr Cameron until he sat down with Mr Brown. As the Prime Minister walked to the lectern in Downing Street at 5pm to announce his intentions, only Mr Clegg knew whether it was the beginning of a Labour-Lib Dem pact, or a Machiavellian ploy to panic the Tories into giving Mr Clegg what he wanted.
It had the effect of forcing Mr Cameron to call a meeting of the shadow cabinet at 5.30, where the Tories agreed that a final offer of a referendum on electoral reform would be made to the Lib Dems. The offer was quickly ratified by a meeting of the backbench 1922 committee and, at 7pm, Mr Hague went public with it.
But as he was speaking to the cameras, Labour’s negotiating team of Lord Mandelson, Lord Adonis, Harriet Harman, Mr Balls and Ed Miliband was slipping into Portcullis House 200 yards away to begin talks which could take the decision out of the Tories’ hands.
Let us please, please, give this new government a chance - not launch into criticism, or keep talking about 'when' they fail.
David Cameron is very clearly a thoroughly good man, who wants the best for his country: what a relief after the past 13 years. Can we get used to good people? are we so cynical that we have to assume everyone is as venal as the last government has been?
Thank heavens there are still people in politics who want to keep it clean, and who really do want to put their country first, not their own ambitions.
i think david cameron is the best man at this time to do the job .
They look so happy on this pictures!
Sad to see so many bigoted and delusional comments written by assumedly educated readers.
I'm an expat, I see the UK now as an overnannied sh*thole.
Any party in power could not have dealt appropriately with greed-driven Globalisation, the export of services abroad causing the inevitable decline of British manufacturing capability. Profits rise temporarily because of short term reductions in costs, until competitors catch up, but the long-term price is that everyone is back on the same level again, with a shrunken indebted economy, as imports become cheaper.
What policies could have prevented this? Tell companies to keep their services internal to the country? Not possible in a democracy. Other entities would have taken advantage instead. Myopic human nature, and unregulated internatioanl sub-prime greed caused the recession.
Why can't we have a government of intelligent people that just make the RIGHT equitable and fair decisions, regardless of party affiliation?
Was a time when New Labour was seen as New Thatcherism... Why not go for a con-lab coalition? :-)
Unfortunately, there are people who irresponsibly vote just for the sake of voting, and unintended consequences come to pass. In the U.S. people routinely fill out entire ballots for positions and referendums just because there are blanks to be filled in. This is regardless of whether or not they actually know the candidate's positions or the issue's intricacies. An ill-informed vote is far more dangerous than abstaining from voting. This is right up there with ignorant, across-the-board party line voting. One should never abdicate their personal responsibility to vote with informed conviction. This is a fruit that has been borne from the Tree of Liberty. The same one that has been watered with the blood of patriots for centuries. Does the government you have serve the people or do the people serve the government that you have? Public servants in power? Or self-servants in power? Our "Hopey-Changey" thing isn't working on this side of the pond. Good luck, and "speak truth to power". Loudly enough for them to hear!
Will of the people Jean? More like the will of the 36% of the people who bothered to vote.... hardly a ringing mandate
I can't believe that even after Labour screwed up so badly in practically every way, there were still enough Labour voters left to cause a hung parliament.
To anyone who voted Labour: What the hell were you thinking? Have you not even noticed the last economic collapse, or the vast stupid laws and bureaucracy, mass immigration, street violence and ridiculous taxes, at the cost of a vast decrease in living standards, privacy. rights and what our hard-earned paychecks can now buy compared to a few years ago?
I can only conclude that Labour voters continue only because of diehard traditions, bad habits and absolute closed-minded thinking, not because they actually looked around or considered what harm Liebour actually did against our country or their own situation.
The conservative party won the most seats. They won. Do not deny the will of the people by making anyone other than Mr. Cameron the PM. There could be quite an ugly backlash if the will of the people is ignored.
I cannot help but think that the behavior of the Lib Dems and the Labour Parties, aided and abetted by the BBC, represent what can only be described as the most expensive party political ever shown on TV which in effect has cost the Conservative Party absolutely nothing.
So much for Clegg's cleaner politics. We never expected anything better from the Labour Party and it is surely time that the BBC tried to 'sit on fence' in its broadcasting.
haven't you learned yet? never ever trust a leftist.
I concur. The Queen should call a new election immediately.
Sounds like an episode from "Survivor". Regardless, brown makes Dumb & Dumber look like Einstein & Edison. BTW, Gordo, how's that "bigoted old woman" doing nowadays?!
Cameron may be a well educated, extremely well connected man, but clever he most definitely is not. He has done many silly things (EU referendum and inheritance tax come to mind immediately) that show that he does not have a clue how to manage the day to day tactics of politics in the UK. Unfortunately for him, Labour has Mandelson and Campbell. They do know how to fight to win. Now that they have ditched Brown, the most negative aspect of Labour, Cameron might as well give up. If there is a next time for the Tories, they should choose someone with a less elitist background and some practical experience of life as well as politics. PR is, in the end, without any substance. Ask Blair!
Britain, you get what you deserve! What a STUPID system you have over there. You are now ruled by "Dumb and Dumber". Congratulations. You now get to find out what it's like to be Greek.
I know you Brits do things differently but if you are going to have three parties don't you think its time do away with the super majority rule?
I mean you all belly ached and complained when you joined in the chorus of the Democrats back in the 2000 when you claimed the Electorate college in America stole the election for Bush.
Now here you have a clear victory for conservatives. They were the only party with an increase in seats and they clearly won in terms of seat...
...and yet the will of the people will be ignored by a coalition government with a socialist as its head? Now I know we American's aren't too bright but in our Senate and House we allow the majority party to pick who runs the legislative show.
Looks like your elections has been stolen. Maybe we should call in the UN to oversee your elections from now on.
Welcome to the nightmare that is called Obamaworld...
It amazes me that people can watch what is happening to economies world-wide (EU as a whole, Greece, Spain, US, Venezuela, etc.) and still vote for politicians who promise to redistribute wealth (i.e., Labour and LibDems). When will people realize that penalizing those who produce (through taxation) and subsidizing those who don't (through welfare) discourages production and encourages indolence? Why would anyone think that the central economic planners are able to better allocate economic resources than those who actually produce and consume those resources? On a macro scale we see what's happening in Greece as a result of their welfare state, and we now see how Germany and France are going to be dragged down by being tied to the carcass. "The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools."
we've had a majority government from the first-past the post system (and of course the old two-party system - I'm talking Tory / Whig) for most of the last hundreds of years. Has it done us any good? We've seen Britain slip from the facilitator of an empire of trade routes and commonwealth to some bit player desperately trying to be friends to USA and to Europe. Perhaps a coalition where the ruling party can't just whip members through the lobbies will do some good - perhaps MPs will plan for a future beyond the next election, when they can't just swap sides of the house but have to make it work.
Right wing isn't good for the country. Left wing isn't good for the country. Centre isn't either. We need leaders who are in politics for more than the fame, the power, the wealth, which means checks and balances to hold back the cheques and control public or lobby payments into bank balances. Roll on PR and the multi-party government coalition!
You had to be a TRUE idiot to think that a Tory and Lib-Dem coalition would be a good thing for the UK.
How hard were the Tories bending the Lib-Dems over a barrel to get a coalition?
England is dead. Only its rotting corpse remains. Who cares who buries the carcas? When England lost its sense of itself as both unique and a force for good (both of which were true) it became the opposite. Collectivism is a soul destroying ethic and England is dying proof. I just hope the US does not follow her down that Obama-hole.
The best way to break the threat of Proportional Representation is to increase the number of seats in the Commons.
The Conservatives should demand another election and run on a platform of a 1000 seat Parliament. They should also spin Scotland off.
It would be completely wrong for Labour to continue ruling the country in any form. For the two LOSING parties to rule the country would make a complete farce of the voting system - the Conservatives got the most votes, and it may have been 20 short of a majority but this isn't much, and it was nearly 50 more seats than Labour.
Obviously they can't govern the country with a majority, they didn't get enough votes. But either let them be a minority government or get some sort of deal sorted with the Lib Dems. If Labour and Lib Dems end up leading the country it will make a complete farce of our electoral system and what the people voted for.
Nick Clegg must be loving this - suddenly he's Mr Popular!
The best and brightest of British leadership died in WWII
Nick Clegg is another Tony Blair it would seem by courting each party leader for the best deal, he does not seem to appear as wanting the best for the people but only himself, wanting the status and power.
it is plain to see we the people want change.
I believe that the goverment are to represent the people, what a sham they consult we vote, they don't listen, or they just go ahead & do what they want without any referendum
Conclusion they are all the same in it for the money.. and the perks.
Hope to be proven wrong and events will evolve otherwise, however there does seem to be a bit of naivity in the high ranks of the Conservative party. It looks as if the whole ideals for which more people voted for them than the other 2 main parties have been thrown out of the window in search of a utopian consensus government that is never to be. The UK is begining to behave like Continental Europe. Italy's much despised political class behaves on a daily basis in just the same way that our political leaders are behaving now to the stunned incredulity of many in the UK. The effect of proportional representation being enacted on top of that would be the legalisation of this process and its entrinement in our laws. The UK took one weekend to decide and act with costly monetary injections on the dramatic bank rescues back in 2008 which helped save the UK economy from catastophic failure. (Whether this was right or wrong can be dabated separately). Eurozone governments have taken the best part of 4 months deciding on what was a relatively small problem - Greece and its effects on the Euro - and only when faced with total oblivion last Thursday (when we were voting ourselves to possibily political oblivion) do they haphazardly move and bite the bullet with an even more costly package than could have otherwise have been - and even then the proposed solution is not clear. Most countries with any say in the eurozone have proposrtional representation. This is just a taste of what will happen in the UK as we move towards this system of politics. Why is the UK the oldest parliamentary democracy in Europe? Maybe because it works.
I left the UK in 1994. Since then I have become only less and less likely to return. This is a shame. It is a wonderful country with a wonderful people. I have experienced a few other places, none of which compare to home. However, our country is being destroyed by socialism. The terrible fact is that socialism requires the majority to be poor in order to get elected. A culture of entitlement and disdain for the hard working middle classes of our country will ensure that the situation continues until the country is bankrupt. Conservatives should not try to emulate socialists and should not do deals with them. It is clear as day that the majority of our country voted for socialism in one form or another. Let them have it and wait for them to get what they deserve. Then, people like Jen will find the situation less funny I believe. I shall not return.
Conservative and Labour voters DID NOT give the parties a mandate to change the electoral system – IT WAS NOT in either manifesto.
The parties are putting themselves first and not the people.
The Queen should call another election right now.
Poor old tories, the party 'born to rule'.
All those private/public schools,designed to produce our financial/political masters, the old boys network,all the Ashcroft money,the tory press, and they still can't beat an unelectable labour government. Then they get out-manouevered by Gordon!And they still don't realise they didn't win...
Nick Clegg may well be hailed a 'King Maker'. He should be wary too of becoming known as an Executioner! The Public are now so weary of the uncertainty of Coalition Government (with either side),the treachery of undeclared discussions that the next election could well see a radical fall of votes for the iberal Democrats percieved only as adding chaos to our Govern ent.
The idea that the Liberals would play one side against the other is unsurprising.
The Liberals, who have never experienced making actual political decisions have shown that in a critical time where decision making is key they have already been found wanting.
Labour has destroyed our economy and laid virtually zero foundations for any future growth of industry. For the Liberals to consider working with the party who gave us the dodgy dossier on Iraq and with Brown at the healm (even if he has agreed to resign - time will twell how true that statement was)who re-defined his own econmic rules when they were not met should be a warning to the Liberals that anyone who gets into bed with New labour will be burnt.
If the Liberals ever want to succeed in UK politics they must first realise they are a minority party, albeit the largest one and should enter an agreement with the conservatives where they can influence policy. Any good work will be rewarded at the next election which if we are honest could be a matter of months away.
The Economy is the priority. Not who has power, what is the point of being in charge of a failing econmy with no solutions. History will only judge harshly.
Liberals you have been warned. Going into a deal with labour could be the end of your party forever.
I doubt that Clegg understands that the minute the deal is done Brown and his friends will embark on the path of promise and agreement breaking and that Clegg and his followers will not be in a position to do anything but scream betrayal and that the Tories will say "serves you right"... and the country will lose all the way around while Labour smirks in the corner and goes about its foul and greedy business.
More comments seem to bash David Cameron and even some clown named Charles Lee called him an empty balloon...Sir Charles that empty balloon won the election.
He did not count his chickens you fool...You have to other socialist/liberal parties getting together to skirt the system...What a shock!!!
The fools are the citizens of your country that gave the other two parties that are destroying your country enough votes period. Kind of like putting Obama in office for a free chicken dinner...Not working out well for us.
The United Kingdom is getting a taste of what proportional representation is like. The Liberal Democrats came in dead last, but are apparently playing the tune. It is an absurdity. Cameron decided to go left, and thus left himself open to this.
I'm just an American outsider amazed at some of the comments I am reading from our brothers.
So a party can destroy the financials and freedoms of a country and I see some readers just want to give them more power and are happy they may keep ruling? Amazed what a free handout can do to people.
The vote was done and people will be happy they are going around the 'will of the people' for their own political futures?
We are witnessing it here in America...Politicians are rulers who care nothing for the people and don't live by the same rules they make.
Amidst all the righteous indignation that you can poll 36% and be denied the reigns of power some may need to remind themselves that there were no winners in this election with a mandate for power. Put simply there is no appetite for any of our politians to have absolute power.
To those of you who believe David Cameron has a "right" to govern on the basis of 36% of the electorate perhaps you should look at the countries with a one or two party state where majority/only party ruling happens.
Try the USA where wealth decides who governs and all representatives owe there election to "interested parties." Take Russia or China perhaps as a role model?
I would welcome a wide range of interests in a coalition - perhaps then there might be some more listening done to majority interests rather than having the mistakes as made by one Gordon Brown over 10% tax rate for instance.
At my age I have approx 40 years of political memory - within that time successive governments by parties with 40+% mandates have not given us sparkling leadership. Goodness knows how a 36% dictatorship will improve that record.
Whatever deal is done, irrespective of the parties involved, I trust that we will have sufficent shared ownership of policy to improve the country.
The fact of the matter is we have had a completely inconclusive election, we did not vote DC in - we siimply voted GB out.
The Tories must be starting to feel like the people of this country in general - ignored!
Still I agree with the broad idea that politicians doing nothing is preferable to those taking decisively the wrong action.
Just a little reminder that the Liberals (who are anything but in the classical sense) are in fact socialists (read their manifesto)so why on earth would the Tories want to align themselves with it? If it's power without any principle (I know... don't laugh) that is sought then Lord help us.
I find it astonishing that the two major political parties can put the UKs welfare on the block in order to preserve an electoral system that is always unfair - and in cases like this, delivers such a bizarre result. Why not adopt preferential voting, as is used to elect the lower house in all Australian jurisdictions (equivalent to the House of Commons) The last time the Australians had a hung parliament at a national level was in the early 1940s. Tasmania has a nominal hung parliament that is functioning well.
Also it is not rational to try ot scare people by threatening elections. What is wrong with elections? Go to North Korea and see what a lack of elections do for you.
Finally, it seems that not only do the Aussies beat the Poms at cricket, Rugby etc, but now at democracy.
Cameron proved himself spineless, unjust , naive and cynical. It's no surprise that he has tripped up again.
The expenses 'crisis' was caused by Cameron's 'artlessness'. MPs have been chronically underpaid and 30 years ago the expenses system was rigged in lieu of pay rises so that they are/were in no way equivalent to civilian expenses. There was no expenses scandal: they were supposed to make up their pay. Those that didn't were simply canny enough to spot a trap or had their own income. The fault was with those who twisted the system 30 years ago. Cameron, in knowledge of this, denounced the labour MPs instead of defusing the 'crisis' by explaining to the electorate and then was surprised when the Telegraph published data on his own MPs two weeks later. What politician worth the name would fall in to such a simple trap? And why is he so easily trusting a newspaper. Then he was unable to take back his denouncements and could only feebly offer up "We understand the public anger". He should have resigned.
Those MPs who claimed innocence were right but got no support. Clegg is as cynical and unjust. Now we face the prospect of real quality people shunning politics due to the terrible pay which is nearly as little as a middle manager. We already had a bad situation: look at Cameron. Very poor quality.
In the meantime Cameron has gutted the Conservative's of their conservatism due to the unconservative influence of Ashcroft. We need a new party: the True Conservatives based on Philip Blonde's ideas (a so-called red Tory, as he styles himself, but actually genuinely conservative).
Spineless Cameron capitulated to the polls when 'savage cuts' caused a dip. He should have been honest and taken the consequences and got his majority in a years time. The country is doomed: there is no one with the strength to do what's needed and the Labour party will be back in power within the year.
Ah, the good old days, when the leader of a major party who did not obtain a majority would have resigned immediately, the leader of the other major party would form a minority government and govern according to his concience instead of prostituting himself to the 3rd runner-up party that he campaigned against, and another election would have been held a year later...
Well dear Britons, join the club. In Holland we had the socialists in a coalition government for 3 useless years. They lost very severely in every poll. So suddenly they left the coalition for no reason, changed leadership, called their new leader a messias and from now on behave like they were always in the opposition instead of the government. They want to cling to power at every cost and have no feeling for the voters at all.
How familiar sounds the socialist coup in the UK.
Some of the comments! Who could possibly entrust Brown's shabby lot with our welfare - safe pair of hands they are not.
How many of our civil liberties have they removed?
How much money have they squandered?
surely no-one is suggesting that they have not been responsible for the financial situation we are in - and which we are still not facing up to.
This horrible stitch-up does not benefit the country; the debt is mounting up at £000s and we are fussing about PR.
I admire the passion of the posters here whatever their views, but just wish they could see that it is all IRRELEVANT!
The way events are unfolding, within a couple of years the takeover by the EU will be complete and the UK will just be a small and powerless outpost of the EU superstate which is corrupt and undemocratic from top to bottom.
The Lib/Lab/Con all know this and so do the media in general who also support this bloodless coup.
UKIP are the only party that tell the TRUTH!
The only hope is that the public (and the Tories) WAKE UP at the next Election in a few months time as this really will be the LAST CHANCE to save the UK from the EU dictatorship!!
If not, future Elections thereafter will be completely meaningless aside from arguing over who sets the budget for the tea club!
What surprises me is that everyone is so keen to choose our government to a timetable set by 'The Markets'. The very same chaotic, illogical, irresponsible, utterly rubbish collection of unelected greed merchants who caused all our problems in the first place.
John Reid has got it right. Any LibDem/Lab pact that effectively keeps a rump Labour government in power after it has been so clearly rejected by the electorate can only be good for the Tories in the not-so-long-term. Expect another election in, say, six months and a good working Tory majority - enough to give Cameron five years at least.
I think its wise to sit down with both parties. I think what the tories have done is stupid, forcing the Libs to make what seems like a quick decision when clearly they are in no position to do, thinking they have the upper hand like that, what muppets!! It serves them right now of they loose! I think a then end of the day Libs need to stick with what they are fighting for and the closest party that is doing this is Labour. I think Tories will go back to the drawing board and think of something else. Its funny because now it makes the tories look desperate ans really stupid and niive! Never good if you want to run the country!!!
The Liberal Democrats should know that the House of Commons voting system should be left intact´, but the House of Lords should be abolished. To this end, the U.K. needs to be split up into regions: Greater London, South & Sussex, SouthWest and Wessex, Wales, Mercia & Midlands, East & Anglia, Yorkshire, Norththumbria & Strathclyde, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Each region gets it s own assembly which would have the same powers as the current Scottish parliament. Each of the assemblies will send represetnatives to the Upper House of Parliament. Full Stop!
It seems to me that Clegg would naturally side with the Tories but his party are more disposed toward Labour. Cameron should stick to his principles and stay out of any pact. There will be another election soon and I think the Lib Dems will reap their just reward for subverting the will of the majority vote. particulalrly in England as it is the English who will pay a heavy price for this coaltion of the losers.
The UKIP had the support of 917,832 voters and 563,743 supported the BNP. These 1,481,575 people, the majority probably residing in England, have no MPs representing their views in the new Parliament.
On the other hand Plaid Cymru, the Scottish Nationalists, and the Northern Ireland Parties have the combined support of 1,107,908 voters and have 25 MPs representing them.
That doesn't seem right to me.
I'm a trained negotiator and part of the process after the small team of negotiators have privately reached an agreement, is to then posture in public to get all of the people they represent to agree as well. In this example, Nick Clegg can't look like he's a walkover to the left of his party. His negotiators probably privately agreed with the Tory negotiators, "Look guys, we need to look like we've been tough. We're going to spend a couple of days showing to our party that we've rejected you and are talking to Labour. Then we'll come back to you and our party will think we've been strong"
Trade unions and business negotiators do this all the time. The TU rep will warn his counterpart that he needs to go on the news and insult management etc. to get the members to back the deal.
The only way to resolve this for the future is to rid ourselves of the parasitic welsh and scots asap.
All the tory loving faithful on this page seem to think that the tories have a right to be in power. they didnt get enough votes for a majority!thank god.
The stark illustration between a party honestly committed to the 'best' for our nation - and a party that only wants to remain in power. Aided by a sadly dishonest 'broker'.
A stark illustration of how Labour will always ignore what people tell them: promising absolutely anything so as to stay in government. Are we all 'bigots' now - Brown etc have ignored our Election demand for good government after 13 years of lost liberty, and rotten laws.
A minority Conservative government can do the urgent business of dealing with our desperate financial state - BUT, better by far to leave that dreadful bunch of dishonest losers to sort out the IMF and fall even further in popularity as people blame Labour RIGHTLY for the ruinous mess they have landed this country in.
We're told that Labour supports PR as they have worked it out that this system would for ever keep Conservatives out of power.. is this possible? who has done the sums?
I cannot believe the audacity of Brown! Have some dignity and leave already. The back stabbing of the Lib Dems is a disgrace. I had actually started to think that Clegg was indeed a different politician .....now I know he is just as bad as Brown! They both have their own agenda and are not interested in change at all!
Where is Screaming Lord Sutch when you need him?
Exquisite timing by Gordon Brown - a brilliant and much misunderstood man and the best pair of hands if we want to continue safe and stable government. We absolutely do not need any changeover now. Labour should select David "Brains" Miliband to be party leader once Brown steps down and the result of the next election will be a resounding Labour victory whether there is a Tory/Lib-Dem or Lab/Lib-Dem coalition now. Cameron couldn't win this time and he won't win against Miliband. Lots of new Tory voters were still in nappies when the last Tory government was in and they can't remember the sleeze and high interest rates in double figures - great for those who've just inherited and banked a few hundred k (which they also want to make tax-free) but disastrous for those with mortgages who literally ended up on the street when they couldn't pay them. No-one knew what was going to hit us from one day to the next - exactly, a vote for change! When I saw Hague, Letwin, Redwood, Portillo and co. slithering round the TV Screen again, looking smug and failing to answer the question I thought, oh no, not this again! With Labour we have had stability, you can plan for things and you know where you are. That's essential for a government to provide.
Brilliant. British politics is proving yet again to be a totally deceitful and shabby business. True, if you add up the Labour and Lib Dem seats then it totals to more than the conservatives. We can all do the math. But many of those who voted lib dem wanted labour out and did not vote for Brown/Clegg alliance. It wasn't on the ballot slip. So although Gordon Brown will be standing down, it won't be until September. So we are faced with the prospect of being led by an unelected prime minister AGAIN followed by ANOTHER unelected prime minister with a coalition of losers that will be looking after the best interests of Scotland. Jesus wept.
Winners are Caroline Lucas (Green) and Nick Clegg (King maker)
Seems to me the biggest looser is David Cameron
As an ex patriot may I say that this situation sickens me.
I agree with some posters the Lib/Dems are looking out for themselves, and if they move in with the labour camp, it will cause chaos.
Just over a voting system????
What about policies and manifestos. They still have to pass laws in the mean time.
And the conservatives could block them anyway.
Independence for first Scotland and then Wales. Let them get on with it. Then let's have an English General Election. No need for PR, then.
Maybe its the best thing. Both Lib and Lab will loose all credibility with the electorate and the coalition is doomed to fail. Next election > clear landslide victory for the conservatives.
@Phaideaux, It is interesting to note that what the people actualy want is this;
36% Tory
29% Labour
23% Liberal
In terms of representation what we actualy got was:
47% Tory
40% Labour
9% Liberal
I know that it might not be very sensitive to point it out in a paper with a more tory bias, but almost a quarter of those who voted have been completly disnfranchised. Both Tory and Labour have gained about 11% with the current system whilst the Liberals have lost around 14%.
Whatever your party political colour this IS NOT AN EQUITABLE VOTING SYSTEM AND IT NEEDS CHANGING!
The extended meeting of Lib-dem MPs might indicate that the problem was that Nick Clegg couldn't get his party to accept a deal with the Conservatives - which should come as no suprise to anyone who waded through their manifesto!
People of this nation, remember these events. Remember which of our politicians put country before party, and which did not. In particular, remember the treachorous Lib Dems. We used to joke about them always sitting on the fence, but now it's not that funny anymore. They are playing poker with our country's future, purely for personal and party gain. Don't ever forget.
Like most other non-tory politicians, PLaid and the SNP hate the Tories so much that they will not risk rocking the boat if a RAinbow coalition is formed.
Wouldn't surprise me to find out that Cameron was currently meeting other minor parties to gather enough support to win a majority.
Lib Dem Labour alliance is all well and good, but together they still don't have enough seats.
If somehow David Cameron doesn't end up as prime minister I honestly don't think I will ever stop laughing.
Lab + Lib = 52% of the vote
Tory = 36%
Doesn't sound undemocratic to me.
You were warned " a vote for LIB-DEM" is a vote for Labour! but you didn`t believe did you, now your nightmare is coming true !!!
I am getting so very sick of our prima donna politicians messing around with our country's life. Neither Labour nor, especially, the Lib-Dems are taking the slightest bit of notice of what our population voted for. They are only seeking to inflict their own agendas on us despite the fact that the country needs something else.
Nick Clegg is holding the limelight for the first time in his (and the Lib-Dems') life and, oh boy, is he loving it. He is holding both the major parties to ransom merely to ensure that the Lib-Dems have as much say in government as possible and not necessarily because their policies are what the PEOPLE want. This is the legacy of Tony Blair – politics, not policies, are deciding our fate. What have we come to?
Labour is no better, as we have seen proved. They promised us the world and then swept it all under the carpet or else did the opposite and, in the process, ruined the country both morally and financially.
The Tories are not much better, but at least their plans are directed at trying to reverse some of the damage done over the last 13 years. Retention of grammar schools, a referendum on our EU relationships, and a complete revision of our voting system should have been the major part of their manifesto but Cameron was not brave enough to do that. If he had been, I believe that he would have won hands down.
I just wish that the Queen would step in and order Cameron to form a caretaker government for a cooling-off period of three months, during which time he should be mandated to create a voting system which reflects that the vast majority of the country is Tory (in both area and total number of votes). Thereafter there should be another general election for better of for worse – although I doubt if things could get much worse than what we have now!
Why do I feel thst my country is being stolen from me and their is nothing I can do?
We as the people have been emascualted while Lab/Lib steal our nation....
There must be a need for direct action!
It is no good accusing Clegg of hypocrisy or double dealing, he owes it to all to test both Lab & Tory.
Of course Clegg was going to talk to Brown, the naive Cameron team must have realised that all they were doing was setting the benchmark for the Lib Lab negotiations, then if Clegg does not like the deal with Labour he has another round of discussions with the Tories.
Brilliant strategy from the Libs (looks like Ashdown's military training was not wasted).
So we may have a government that has a majority of votes and seats, called the Lib Lab coalition and what will Cameron do then after saying he wanted a government in the national interest, will he attempt to vote down the a new government? If he does he risks the opprobrium of the population.
Welcome to the breakup of the United Kingdom.
Take the time to look at the Telegraph's Result map.
If you think that a Tory-leaning England is going to tolerate having its future controlled indefinitely by a band of Scottish and Welsh Nationalist then think again.
A few facts:
1. The Conservatives didn't "win" the election - they got 36% of the popular vote. 64% didn't vote for them. Its not the X-Factor guys.
2. The Lib Dems got 23% of the vote - but less than 10% of the seats. Democracy?
3. We are in a 3+ party system - like it or not, we are. That's a function of our society - get used to it.
4. We've just had 5 years of a a Labour government that had total power with 22% of the electorate backing them - healthy for democracy? I don't think so.
5. You Tories need to get used to the idea that you are not going to get in on the FPTP system - we've just had two years of the most unpopular PM in history, with the worst economic crash for 70 years - and yet you STILL can't win. Wake up - smell the coffee - get real.
Oh - and where is this dreadful "lost" England some of you are wittering on about? Mostly, I note, people who no longer live here.
The Lib Dems are obviously basking in the fact that they are holding a loaded gun to the head of the body politic in this country. Utterly disgraceful.
Mr Cameron should voluntarily step aside, let the Lib Dems and Labour find that they are not such comfortable bedfellows as they would like to think, and simply await the crumbling of their immoral coalition. Let's ahve a second general election and return the Tories with a massive majority...
Time for the Conservatives to outline what is best for the country. It is not the change to the voting system. It cleaning up and opening up the whole system of how we are governed.
No one who has seen the goings on over the last few days could be impressed by the murky, shady going on’s from all sides could be impressed. This is the dark side of PR system. For the Conservatives to go on with this corruption of politics by Clegg & Brown, is for them to say they agree with it and paint them with the same brush.
The People want accountability, full accountability. The removal of the Political List, the removal of the Whip system. Primaries would be good as would election funding only coming from within the constituency it is to be used.
Parliament is there so that constituency MP can hold the Government of the day to account. It is not there to do the bidding of Government.
The Political Class cannot call this corruption a democracy. It is time for the Conservatives to stand back and call for the implementation of a Free Democracy. Are the Conservatives part of the same axis of evil, of those that seek to corrupt and play the system for their own self serving needs, for which Blair, Brown and now Clegg have come to stand for. Or do the Conservatives stand for openness, freedoms and Democracy?
There is going to be a new election any day now, and we will all remember how no one listened when we said clean up your act or go.
Clegg was only being polite and while he was talking to Cameron the Tory rags were pouring out their compliments on him. At their heart the Lib Dems are pinko's and it should not suprise any thinking person that Clegg would after a period of politeness give the Tories the flick, like the majority of the country have done for the last 13 years. The Tories best days are gone, they are now no more than political dinosaurs.
Its not Cameron who has been outfoxed but Clegg. He is now left with a lose/lose situation - he either props up a failed government and gets attacked for turning down a referendum or accepts the Tory offer in the full knowledge that the experience of the last few days and his parties actions in particular will kill any chance of the public voting through the AV plus system which he has always wanted.
Cameron may lose the short game and see him pitched against the rainbow coalition but the nation will not forget the actions of the Lib Dems, who will be cast as another vote for Labour.
If you really think Brown is going anywhere you need help.
This is classic Mugabe tactics he will still be lurkng in the background like some dark sinister figure with Mandleson pulling the strings.
We now have the seeds of a petty dictatorship with 57 liberals behaving like common prostitutes holding the country to ransom.
Now you can all see through pretty boy Clegg for what he truly is totally unprincipled and without one ounce of credibility.
This country needs to rid itself of this odious corrupt shower of traitors who put themselves before the country.
We know full well the election was full of fraud in certain areas and now it is clear who was behind it!.
Lots of people going on about voting for change. Well, we did, a bit. But not very much. Actually quite a lot of people voted labour and quite a few voted liberal. And all this business about unelected pm's: Hello! This is parliamentary democracy!! We do NOT vote for prime ministers. That's one of the good things about it!
Was Cameron outflanked? That implies it was a confrontation. But I got the impression that it was a serious negotiation on Cameron's part, one in which he had implicitly accepted the risks. In any negotiation you have to reckon with disingenuousness on the other side. I think Cameron comes out of this looking honourable, even statesmanlike; whereas Clegg looks smeared and tawdry.
I had not rated Cameron's leadership potential - until now.
"Cast Iron" Cameron was outflanked by the UKIP voters on the day he reneged on the Lisbon "putsch" referendum!
Just curious.
What happenes if we do get a referendum on electoral reform and the country votes no (considering the current stasis its not unlikely). What do the libdems do then ? still pursue PR ?
Just shows Nick Clegg & His Parties true colours. What poppycock, that they are doing what is best for the Country. They are doing what Politicians have always done and that is putting themselves first.Labour have always been unprincipled so it is no surprise they will do anything to cling on to power even if it means sacrificing their Leader in order to keep the Tories out.We are retired & have savings, we do not get Browns pension credits & rely on no one, so who gets into power does not really affect us but we care Passionately for our Country & for fairness and we find this whole situation deplorable this Labour party along with the likes of Mandelson, Campbell,Harperson, Dromey newly elected Husband of Harperson)have bought Politics to a new low, the Gutter no less, it is what we should have of expected from a vindictive, deceitful bunch.No wonder the Country is in such a state when run by such unprincipled people.
Let the Lib/Lab partnership progress - it will soon become clear that Plaid and the SNP's support will rely on none of the very difficult cuts falling west or north of the respective borders.
When England realises that it has been sacrificed on the altar of political expediency the house of cards will come crashing down.
If conservatives can remain collegiate and united they will win the day - it is unfortunate that the country must be brought to its knees first!!!!
None of this would have happened but for labour advising its members to vote lib dem in marginal seats. not cricket chaps
Dear David,
Back away now, and as fast as you can.
A LIB-LAB coalition will be a disaster, no cuts and the dreaded call from the IMF.
Bide your time David, you will get your leadership and a huge majority in less than 12-months. PR or non-PR, you will get a landslide.
It is going to be very very ugly, but it will not be of your making.
Show patience my man, show patience.
The only possibly valid argument the Conservatives have against a true PR system (not AV!!!) versus the current undemocratic First Past The Post system is the fact that under PR there may be a larger number of parties with possibly no party having a clear majority.
To form a government would then entail subsequent negotiations in "smoke filled" (sic) rooms!
This is exactly what we have now under the existing system!
We therefore now have the worst of both worlds. A totally undemocratic electoral system followed by no party getting a clear mandate to govern.
Does any right minded person believe that no reform is needed?
I always thought that what ever happened the Libdems would get the blame for anything that went wrong.
And here we are, I did not expect it so soon though.
I'd like to see Harriett Harman, not another lame guy standing. A bit of rebellion would be great and rebellion ain't the Tories.
I don't think Clegg is necessarily playing a game here. I'm sure he realises that a deal with the tories would be better for the country but his party won't have it. The lib dems do not have the centralised power structure of the tories or the labour party and are looking indecisive as a result.
At a stroke Brown has shown why he's so necessary to Britain's futureand why Cameron is so superfluos.
Cameron has been outwitted, outmanouvered and outspun.
Sorry, I do not want Cameron in charge of any negotiations with any foreign power. The phrase "lamb to the slaughter", comes to mind.
For goodness' sake, Cast-Iron... put your deal on the table in front of the public, say to Clegg 'Take it or leave it' and start going for a minority government a la Canada.
If Clegg wants to join you, he can play catch-up later.
Whatever happens from here, at least Clegg will be remembered as the person who finally felled Brown!
I really thought Clegg and the Lib-Dems were honest when they talked about a new type of politics, but now I realise that this affair shows their leadership for what it truely is, just as bad as any other party, if not worse, sordid, dishonest and machiavellian.
I say they should go ahead with a Lab-Dem pact, because there would be another election within a year and they will never recover from the public backlash.
A Lab/lib-dem alliance would be a travesty. These two parties talk about fairness, how can it be fair that the two losers form an alliance with a bunch of other minority parties and another unelected PM to hold power. I also think it unfair that the majority of people in the UK (England) are effectively denied their party of choice by a much smaller electorate in the other three countries. Particularly galling as these three also have now their own devolved governments.
If Clegg does a deal with Labour then he's not shooting himself in the foot, he's blowing his leg off.
Public estimation of Nick Clegg must have dived to below zero after seeing him behave like a credit card rate tart while 60 mil. people were held in suspense. One good thing that must come out of this is that now we know what PR means for the country while we watch Mr.Wannastay and MR.Getimout are stymied by Mr.Woolywanka - are we going to vote for more of this in a referendum ?! Who do the public love to hate - Thatcher, Churchill, Nero, Napoleon, DeGaulle - the decisive ones. In ten or twenty years time they will still be there but we will have forgotten Clegg and Brown, except for the fact that Brown will be remembered as the worst PM since Lord North, who coincidentally was also the worst Chancellor previously. North only lost us the colonies (USA) while Brown has lost us more money than most of us can even imagine, with his 'get 'em in debt' based economy.
With less than 10% of the seats in parliament, the liberals are holding the British electorate to ransom. Does anybody in any of the 3 parties realise that there is a seriously urgent matter of a multi-trillion pound debt to sort out, while they fart and faff about!!
Mr Brown, get the *#*# out of number 10 - let the man in, that won the most seats, and lets all get started on the difficult and painful task of getting out of this economic sewer pit!!
So, correct me if I'm wrong but Conservative supporters are furious about the permutations thrown up by an electoral system they are determined to defend. That's got me scratching my head.
I'm also casting my mind back to the 1974 election when Ted Heath desperately cast around for support from the Liberals in a bid to stay in office. Harlot like behaviour if ever I saw it. This is a fascinating period in British politics. Lots of twists and turns. Ultimately, and I think this is what hurts, the Conservative Party really should have performed better against a Labour Party which had been in office for 13 years. The surprising resilience of the Labour vote has been key. We need a fairer voting system. The real scandal is just how hard the Tories have been fighting in recent days to deny that opportunity to the British people.
David Cameron appears to have behaved best of the leaders here. There have been no speeches or statements.
It is never a good sign when aParty's supporters are a rabble in the streets as this reminds us of Labour 'rent-a mob' days.
If there was a caption contest for the photographon May 8th it could read;
... and the winner of the "Upside Down Face Award" goes too...
I think we are all in big trouble.
ByeBye Dave, hello Boris!
So Mr Cameron, the people who voted for you are being ignored. Welcome to my world.
Your party has been ignoring million so people who have voted Liberal or Liberal Democrat at every elction since February 1974.
The price is too high for the Conservatives to sign up with the Lib Dems. Let the Lib Dems sign up with Gordon and the conservatives can them sink them both. We voted for change, and we got incompetent Gordon again. God help us all.
Nick Clegg shows how to negotiate. He also shows he is harder than he appears, which is also good.
I am surprised that David Cameron could not anticipate the current situation. The Lib Dems want PR (proportional representation).
Without the offer of a referendum on PR they cannot deal. His party would not accept the deal.
The conservatives should not have been as cocky and assumed that that Nick Clegg would bend so easy.
But at least Nick Clegg has got rid of Brown.
I'm reckoning the outcome is going to be a minority Tory government making deals on each bill that will go through parliament.
Interesting times.
The empty balloon that is David Cameron appears to have popped.
Never count your chickens before they're hatched.