James Forsyth reviews the week in politics
When the head of state herself has declared, after a lifetime of study, that ‘the British constitution has always been puzzling and always will be’, one wonders what hope there is for the rest of us if we wake up on 7 May to a hung parliament. We have become used to going to bed in the wee hours of Friday morning knowing who the new Prime Minister is. But this time the only thing that might be certain is the uncertainty. The Cabinet Office guidelines for a hung parliament are thorough and detailed. But they will not help with the media frenzy that is likely to be unleashed from Friday onwards: the news helicopters hovering over Downing Street, the 24-hour rolling commentary.
Many Labour MPs are wondering who, precisely, will prise Gordon Brown out of Downing Street if he loses. One told me that Mr Brown would interpret any indecisive result as a rejection of the Conservatives — and set about trying to establish a ‘progressive coalition’ with the Liberal Democrats.
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