Over the past five weeks I have often found myself cursing the British public. I cursed them when Labour’s support started climbing in the opinion polls, grumbling about how some people didn’t deserve to vote. I cursed them when they flocked to the Lib Dem banner following Nick Clegg’s performance in the first debate, complaining about the madness of crowds. And I cursed them on election night when it looked as though they’d granted Gordon Brown a stay of execution, leaving open the possibility that he could cobble together a ‘coalition of the losers’.
In the end, though, they’ve got the outcome they wanted and probably the one that’s best for the country. I know, a Lib-Con coalition wasn’t on the ballot paper, and when the pollsters asked people if they wanted a hung parliament a majority said no. But if you combine the people who voted Labour and Lib Dem it adds up to 60 per cent and if a Lib-Con coalition had been on the ballot paper I suspect it would have won a comparable share of the vote.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in