@realjohnboy,
I'm amazed John that this thread is not buzzing. What is going on is spellbinding for students of politics and, indeed, for students of the human race in its modern, sophisticated manifestations.
It is about nothing but money and power which is money in action. We are in for a long period of very active and bitter infighting.
The crucial thing to remember is that the House of Commons has precedence over Party. The Conservatives have not won control of the House. And bearing in mind that they expended a lot more money than the other parties in the election, that they concentrated that money in about 100 key marginal seats and that it was mainly donated by a "non-Dom" who pays little tax in the UK and was made a Lord in return for the cash. The conservatives won 36% of the votes and only 23% of those eligible to vote voted for them. 77% of the electorate did not vote for them.
The Labour Party has had an extremely hostile media for a long time. One newspaper supported them. And, it must not be forgotten, that media is based in the South-East of England which is the Conservative heartland.
There are very significant regional differences in each party's electoral base. And, indeed, class bases. Tribal some call it.
If I was to follow Stendhal and get crude about these things I would say that Labour represents productive work, Liberal Democrats the lower orders of bureaucracy and the Conservatives represent the diner. In a restaurant--the cooks and bottle washers, the outfront staff, and the troughers. Roughly. Very much so.
It's brilliant. In Rome real knives would have been in play in the old days.
The significant words used today, for my money, are "Progressive" and "Progressive Coalition".
: :
. He looks tired (bloody knackered actually) and Mrs Brown is looking a little sad and trying to hold it together.
