Depressed Lefty red eye - The morning after the night before

Personally, I think Clegg will be v reluctant to do a deal with Brown - I mean, can you imagine someone less suited to collaborative govnt? He can't even manage that with his own party....
So I think that on a personal level Clegg will prefer to do business with Cameron. And that will count for a lot.

maybe the conservatives are prepared to let it go to a second general election in the hope of rallying more support second time around?

Yes you would think so. But I guess this is Cameron's opening gambit - he's hoping to shape the parameters of the deal early.

"Young, I thought that Con had the right to have a minority leadership?"

He has a right to TRY - but if they can't get a Queen's Speech voted through parliament then it won't work. And clearly if there was a lib-lab pact then they would never get a Queen's Speech through.

I think if they failed to get a Queen's Speech voted through it would automatically trigger a vote of no confidence (which again, as a minority facing a lib-lab pact, they would lose) and that automatically triggers a general election.

So yes - he could try to have a minority gvt, but not in the face of a lib-lab pact.

The Conservatives NEED the Liberal Democrats. They cannot get enough without them, without the Scots falling into line, they cannot do it without Clegg. I would think that they would offer more.

Thank you Jenny

Progressive Left Alliance now standing at 330 someone pass me a phone I'll let them know it's sorted

catissleepy - I think the LibDems were actually the most hawkish in terms of deficit reduction, so there was never any hope of them protecting the public sector any better than the tories. They are pretty libertarian in their instincts.

Sorry yes I am wrong in that there is no legal imperative.

how much would referendum + new general election cost?

do we know if lawyers are starting up on any of the seats where people didn't get to vote

if there's going to be loads of lega action and ructions about the polling problems (and that place where they used an out of date electoral roll ) the anotehr election might be fairest thing to do

Seriously - I think the next 4 years are going to be hell and the unlucky party responsible for making cuts may well be putting themselves out of power for another 10 years.

In lots of ways I would rather have the Tories shoulder the blame for this parliament, with the liberals there to deflect some of the pain away from the poorest.

I was terrified of a Tory majority because I felt they would brutally cut services for the poorest and leave the richest untouched. I hope and pray that with a liberal coalition they would not get away with that.

Then a rejuvenated labour could prance back in 2014 and it would all be lovely again.

scoutliam the ball is with the current PM - if he can't realistically form a govnt (which he won't without LD and other support) then he needs to go and tell the queen that. Then I guess HM would invite DC to have a go.

"'tough decisions' = slash and burn in the public sector"

THAT is what I want clegg to try and prevent but I just don't think he'd be able to in this sort of deal

bleeeeeuuuuuuuuurgh
I'm so tired

Of course allowing for the fact that a coalition against them would trump that.

Young, I thought that Con had the right to have a minority leadership?

catissleepy - I agree - but equally many Tory voters voted liberal to keep labour out.

I don't think Clegg can second guess his supporters in this way. All he can do is try to get the best and most democratic deal for them based on the manifesto they voted for - not by guessing what they voted again.

Agree, the Cons not legally entitled - Labour theoretically have first chance (but in practice can only do so if Clegg commits to lab)

'tough decisions' = slash and burn in the public sector

Cameron translated:
'low carbon economy' = nuclear power stations
'pupil premium' = dismantle local education authorities
'fairer taxation' = reduce inheritance tax, increase VAT
Agree he has not conceded anything, just pointed out policies that have vague similarities.

I think he can ignore the rules because it's a fait accompli - even tho Brown has the 'right' (or rather, 'duty') to try and for govt with workable maj, in effect he can't if Clegg won't play ball. So it was a question of cutting to the chase, as it were.

scoutliam - they are not legally entitled to govern.

The libs and labour would be completely legally entitled to form a coalition and take power on that basis.

You are only 100% guaranteed power if you have an outright majority - anything less and a coalition can topple you.

i think clegg has a duty to his voters though too youngvisiter-many people voted LD specifically to keep tories out

Referendum is of course a better deal, but it's a risk for the lib dems.

Apple: Alliance would never vote Tory, would go LibDem and Hermon, the indpendent unionists left the UUP over its alliance with the Tories. She's Labour or LD at worst. So that's 2 more.

Dis, Conservatives have the most seats and therefor legally are entitled to govern.

They need a larger majority to do this without having to bicker with Lab over every decision.

Two problems with lab/lib coalition - are the party who have lost seats, so not v democratic to keep them in govnt; and (more importantly) - lab+lib doesn't give overall majority.
God Cameron's speech rubbishing the last 13 years. Minimum wage anyone? New schools? Flexible working? Maternity leave? Massively reduced NHS waiting lists? Smoking ban? Civil partnerships?