Election News Round-Up: Brown’s Requiem And Monarchy Rules
WHAT the Election of Britain’s Prime Minsiters means. The moanarchists are ready to seize power with Prince Harry at the helm. In the meanwhile, helping us to understand Banzai Brown and his mates are the newspaper columnists:
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Ian Kirby (NOTW):
THE BROWN framily have already started house hunting in Edinburgh as Sarah Brown tries to prepare her husband for life beyond 10 Downing Street.
Vincent Moses (Mirror):
Gordon Brown and David Cameron battled for Nick Clegg’s support last night by offering him up to SIX seats in the Cabinet.
Ready for more facts?
Jamie Lyons (NOTW):
THE Lib Dems could get THREE Cabinet jobs under a deal with the Tories, the News of the World can reveal.
They are likely to be offered Home Secretary, one of the key offices of state.They could also get Chief Secretary to the Treasury (the Chancellor’s No2) and Transport. In addition there would be a string of junior posts.
John Gray (Guardian):
If the Conservatives tilt towards American-style fundamentalism they risk becoming permanently marginal. That’s one reason why theo-conservatism, though probably more influential than in the past, isn’t going to be a serious force in British politics. A more realistic danger is the growth of a type of populism similar to that which has developed in the Netherlands. For Pym Fortyn and Geert Wilders a liberal society isn’t an open society. These European populists aim to make a particular interpretation of liberal values compulsory, while shutting out anyone – most obviously, religious minorities – who may not accept their interpretation of what freedom means.
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Charles Moore: (Telegraph)
Mr Cameron’s scheme [a Tory-Liberal coalition] is, surely, as near as we can get to what the voters wanted – a big change, but with no absolute trust placed in a single party.
So three men – all contending with difficulties within their own parties, all struggling for advantage and all to some degree disappointed – nevertheless realised that the situation had to be solved, and set about doing so. And they are managing it within the existing system. Who says it is dysfunctional?
It turns out that the least right analysis of this campaign was the one favoured by the Guardian and the BBC and, indeed, Mr Clegg. The voters were not completely disillusioned with the old politics. They found the leaders’ debates a useful stimulus, but not a replacement for parliamentary democracy. The “old” parties (actually there aren’t any new ones of any consequence) are not collapsing. Even Labour, though it did very badly, held on to its core support. Except in their leaders’ debate participation, the Liberals did not break any mould. The party that achieved by far the biggest movement – attracting more than two million extra votes – were the Conservatives. Our way of doing politics has come under strain, but has not been shaken to its foundations.
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The source told the BBC’s Jon Sopel that during the leaders’ conversation last night, the tone went “downhill” at the mention of resignation.
It was claimed Mr Brown’s approach was to begin “a diatribe” and “a rant” and the source said the Labour leader was “threatening in his approach to Nick Clegg”.
Mr Clegg was said to have came off the phone assured that it would be impossible to work with Brown because of his attitude towards working with other people.
Nick Cohen (Guardian):
In the political class, among its MPs, journalists, lobbyists and quangocrats, the British way of governing does not encourage strength or vitality, but the worst sides of the national character: the tendency to fawn before the powerful like courtiers before a king; to behave like subjects rather than citizens. For a generation, those seeking power and public money have learned that servility towards politicians who look as if they are on a roll brings many rewards. If they can get in with them and stay with them until the moment comes to dump them in favour of the next ruler, they will be made for life.
Andrew Gilligan (Telegraph):
The nation is in limbo. The markets are on edge. The news channels are in a 24-hour frenzy. Send for the Liberal Democrat Federal Executive!
There are, it seems, 31 of them, plus four non-voting ones. It is not known how many have beards. But with Nick Clegg’s party holding the balance of power, and the executive’s consent required for any deal, these previously obscure activists are just the latest set of Lib Dems to have emerged, blinking, into the big time.
Muster the forces. Tell Camilla to spark up. The monarchy is ready to save the nation!
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Posted: 9th, May 2010 | In: Politicians Comment | TrackBack | Permalink