Wow - I DID Make a Difference!!!!

[Amber]

I'm feeling completely disillusioned this morning. How can the two parties with the lowest votes, be in charge? It's been very difficult to explain to my 10 year old why Gordon Brown may still be Prime Minster even if he loses the votes!!!!!

Yes, I share that feeling really - it certainly is hard to explain to children how this works, and doesn't really underline all the messages we try and give them about fairness, morality and ethics, does it? The system does seem very odd and I think the result raises more questions than it answers. Not that I am being partisan here - but looking at the way the constituencies are drawn up, it does seem a very arbitary way of doing things.

All that said, not sure what I would have thought of as a 'good' result really - apart from possibly not having to go through all this again soon, which it looks as if we will have to.

[Chelmsford mum]

I don't know how old your children are, but when they do Form captain etc in my children's school . they use varying forms of election. E.G single transferable vote etc - they don't call it that.
My children were curious about it but seemed to accept that gaining only a third of the overall vote (Conservatives) didn't make you a very "clear winner".

I think electoral reform will surely come now.

[Snowdrops]

Even Nick Clegg has said this morning that the party with the most votes and the most seats should have the first opportunity of forming a government!

[Snowdrops]

Hmmm, that certainly lets us know where his loyalties lie (I hope)

[mike1880]

How can the two parties with the lowest votes, be in charge?

On the contrary, if anyone (either) manages to stitch up a coalition it will be the first time that a government of this country will represent the majority of the voters for a very long time.

It's a great shame that Squealer Balls and his sock puppet wife are still there

Mike

[ausvic]

Officially hung now! I suppose I can accept (just) a labour/lib dem coalition however I can't stand the thought of Gordon Brown still being Prime Minister. He has to go!!!!

[Amber]

My children were curious about it but seemed to accept that gaining only a third of the overall vote (Conservatives) didn't make you a very "clear winner".

Mine, on the other hand, could not see why getting more seats than anyone else did not make you the winner!

Their school held its own election yesterday (to decide how to spend some money they have been given) and it was understood that the idea with the most votes would win.

[Amber]

It's a great shame that Squealer Balls and his sock puppet wife are still there

That must be something we can all agree on. I almost stayed up when I heard he was in danger - so glad I didn't now as the disappointment would have been more raw at 5am!

[mitasol]

The parliamentary notes on a hung parliament which were available yesterday have vanished! http://www.parliament.uk/templates/erro ... s/404.aspx

They are still available in quick view but it boots you out if you try and download.

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cac ... 3RoEavbpEQ

Conspiracy!

[Snowdrops]

It opened OK for me Mitasol:

Last updated: 17 March 2010
Author: Lucinda Maer
Section: Parliament and Constitution Centre


A crucial aspect of the British system of government is that the government of the day must enjoy the confidence
of the House of Commons. General elections are held to return MPs to
the House of Commons. Most commonly, one party has a majority of seats, and this party
forms a government. However, on a number of occasions over the last century, a general
election has produced a result in which no party has a majority of Members: a situation of no
overall control. This is known as a “hung Parliamentâ€