Hung Parliment.

[DannyM]

I feel your pain - you need a stiff drink Danny!

A condem government...rather apt.

Indeed. We're all doomed!

[touchingcloth]

So are you a labour man Danny?

[DannyM]

Absolutely not, TC! Are you?

[touchingcloth]

Nope!

Normally I'd go lib dem, but I couldn't stomach voting for any of the major 3 parties this time around as all their policies were so vague. I voted Green in the end...partly as a protest vote of sorts, partly because I respect their ethics and partly because I agree broadly with their science policies.

How about you?

[zoegirl]

Hmmm, pardon my ignorance....but what are the different parties in England?...I know them vaguely by name but I couldn't describe many of their policies.

[touchingcloth]

The 3 major parties by a good margin (in terms of number of votes they tend to accrue) are the Conservative, Labour & Liberal Democrat party. Other "noteworthy" parties include the BNP, UKIP & Green; SNP in Scotland; Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland; Plaid Cymru in Wales.

Since WWII we've had only Labour and Conservative governments. The Liberal Democrats have never run the government and the last time any of the ancestral parties of the Liberal Democrats held office was the early 1900s.

Our recent election resulted in a hung parliament meaning that no party won enough seats in parliament to have a clear majority of >50% of the seats. In such a situation the incumbent Prime Minister stays on, unless it is clear that they will be unable to form a functioning government. This is what came to pass, with Gordon Brown (Labour) stepping down from office. The Conservative party (who won the most seats overall) joined forces with the Liberal Democrats to create a government with the requisite >50% seats. So we now have a coalition government headed by David Cameron (Conservative).

In terms of policies...historically the Conservatives have been associated with a promotion of capitalism and free-market economics, nationalism & scepticism of integration with Europe. Labour were born out of the trade union movement in 19th Century Britain, and have traditionally been associated with socialism and working-class voters (this is a trend continued today with the industrial North of the country being a Labour stronghold). The Liberal Democrats embody traditional liberal values, and have policies in favour of political reform in the UK (mainly in altering how the electoral system works).

The UKIP party are nationalists, strongly sceptical of any European interference in British affairs. The BNP are a pernicious little party; with their roots in neo-Nazi organisations they hide racist and fascist policies under a thin veneer of nationalism.

There's a good 50 or so parties that field candidates in UK elections, but those I've mentioned are the ones that gathered most votes in the recent election. Have a look here if you fancy seeing the full list of how the voting went...

Personally it seems that the 3 main parties in the UK are getting pretty similar at their cores, making it much harder to choose between them than in previous years.

If you fancy getting some idea of how the main parties differ on specific policy points, then this series of articles from The Guardian is pretty interesting; they put a set of questions from various public figures on science policy to some of the UK's biggest parties.

[DannyM]

Nope!

Normally I'd go lib dem, but I couldn't stomach voting for any of the major 3 parties this time around as all their policies were so vague. I voted Green in the end...partly as a protest vote of sorts, partly because I respect their ethics and partly because I agree broadly with their science policies.

How about you?

Didn't vote. I'm conservative, but the Conservatives are no longer very conservative. Haven't been for a long time. We have a political elite & career politicians. There is very little to distinguish between the three major parties. Labour count on the North of England to keep afloat; idiot Northerners still under the illusion that Labour are "for the working class." And of course these idiot Northerners would never vote Conservative, because they have been brainwashed by Labour and their Fathers/Grandfathers into believing that the Conservatives are the Big Bad Wolf. So yes, half the electorate are just plain thick or bone idle. The only way to get Britain out of this complete mess is for a true Conservative government to take control. We need a new Conservative party to emerge so the current Conservatives can be put out of their misery...If the party were an animal, it would have been shot years ago as no good to anybody.

[zoegirl]

huh, sounds a lot like the Republican Parties, they are sounding more and mroe similar to the liberal Democrats and in some cases it is hard to differentiate between two candidates.

[touchingcloth]

The only way to get Britain out of this complete mess is for a true Conservative government to take control.

A chancellor with an background in economics would be a good start! Seriously, why is Cameron putting his buddy in charge when there are people much more qualified to steer us out of this mess?

[DannyM]

The only way to get Britain out of this complete mess is for a true Conservative government to take control.

A chancellor with an background in economics would be a good start! Seriously, why is Cameron putting his buddy in charge when there are people much more qualified to steer us out of this mess?

I agree entirely. Osborn seems far too inexperienced. We'll see! Who would you go for? Cable? Clarke?

[touchingcloth]

I'd be much happier with either of them than Osbourne. Tough call though...Clarke's led us through a recession before & Cable has a very strong economics background. It's reassuring to see them in the same cabinet, that's for sure.

[zoegirl]

hmmm...kinda fascinating to hear firsthand about a different government.

Wish I had the money to traveling, UK would definitely be on my list. Between watching BBC programs and reading British lit and listening to you guys, I would love to see it firsthand.

(lol, I know this is silly, but from watching all of the Doctor Who's I think I have seen the London Eye more frequently than other landmarks!!!)

[DannyM]

I'd be much happier with either of them than Osbourne. Tough call though...Clarke's led us through a recession before & Cable has a very strong economics background. It's reassuring to see them in the same cabinet, that's for sure.

We agree. See, a Tory and a LibDem can get on!

[DannyM]

hmmm...kinda fascinating to hear firsthand about a different government.

Wish I had the money to traveling, UK would definitely be on my list. Between watching BBC programs and reading British lit and listening to you guys, I would love to see it firsthand.

(lol, I know this is silly, but from watching all of the Doctor Who's I think I have seen the London Eye more frequently than other landmarks!!!)

Hey Zoe, you've probably seen the London Eye more that I have!! You'd love the UK, whatever your tastes...Unless you like that thing they call a sun

[DannyM]

I'd be much happier with either of them than Osbourne. Tough call though...Clarke's led us through a recession before & Cable has a very strong economics background. It's reassuring to see them in the same cabinet, that's for sure.

Have to add that I think Cable showed quality during the 'economic crisis,' when Brown (Darling) and Osbourne (ahem, previous spelling ...) were simply faffing about in the wind. He went right up in my estimation from that very moment; I remember an analyst of the Stock Exchange saying that many of his colleagues thought that Cable acted like a Prime Minister. Of course, that is going a bit far for Cable, but he knows his economics. Clarke of course is the stand out candidate, but apparently he is now Lord Chancellor. Osbourne has potential, by many accounts, but this is no position for someone with potential, for goodness sake. Clarke, Cable (I'm now thinking of Superman!) and Osbourne as a glorified apprentice would seem to me to be quite a sensible solution. The only thing I dislike about Clarke is his pro-EU stance, but he certainly has the 'medals' to show from his time as Chancellor.