Interaction: Letting Parliament hang

Myers: Good evening, everyone. Welcome to this week’s edition of Interaction, where for the entire week, discussions here in London have all been about one thing. Well, two things, if one includes the topic of the triple X top level domain that could be added to the Internet. But mostly, we have been talking about the result of the UK’s general election and the possibility of a hung Parliament. As of this moment, 306 seats have been declared for the Conservative party, 258 for the Labour party, and 57 for the Liberal Democrat party. No one party has the 326 seats to form a majority government, but a coalition between the Conservatives and Lib Dems would turn the trick. Is that going to happen? Can Labour still form a minority government? Will the parties prove unable to form a government and send us all back to the polls again? And if that happens, will the rest of the world laugh at us? Here to answer these questions, we have called a panel. With us here in London are, first, the leader of the Conservative Club at the University of North Nottingham, Ms Ingar Smythe-Wassilly.

Smythe-Wassilly: Hello.

Myers: The associate director of policy for the Aberdeenshire Labour Supporters organisation, Mr Ken Hyerbrough.

Hyerbrough: Good evening.

Myers: The editor of the monthly publication the Essential Lib Dem Handbook, Mr Cary Jackson.

Jackson: Hello Debbie.

Myers: And finally, joining us from New York City, NY, USA, we have British expatriate and author of the best selling book British Parliamentary Procedure for Dummies, Ms Samaraia Jones.

Jones: Hello.

Myers: Thank you all for being here with us today. Ingar, we go to you first. As the leading party in the election, both in terms of popular vote and seats won, the Conservative party has the best shot at forming a government. What is the strategy for doing so?

Smythe-Wassilly: The strategy is clear, Debbie. We first go to the Democratic Unionist Party, who have traditionally allied with us. With their participation, we also look to the Liberal Democrats. David Cameron and Nick Clegg, of course, have been holding meetings that have drawn much attention. We hope that these discussions will result in a positive result for all concerned, and for all of Britain.

Myers: Certainly a lot to consider there. Ken, as the incumbent prime minister, Gordon Brown constitutionally has the right to make the first attempt at forming a government. Is there really a possibility of a minority government involving Labour?

Hyerbrough: There certainly is. Although Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg have indeed been meeting, there are no guarantees that the Lib Dems can find enough common ground with the Tories to form a government. I believe that we have much more to offer the Lib Dems. For instance, we know all the good parking spaces near Westminster, and we will be happy to help Lib Dem MPs find good places to park their vehicles.

Myers: Surely something to take into account. Cary, the Lib Dems lost five seats in the House of Commons but still find themselves in a powerful position. Is this perhaps the most influence your party is likely to see in the next several years?

Jackson: I would say no, Debbie. Though many in our party are disappointed at the results we attained, we did receive 23% of the popular vote, which is an increase over the 2005 general election. We believe that we have a lot to offer the country as a whole, and that we are not merely here to make up the numbers.

Myers: Noble sentiments there. Samaraia, with the Queen’s Speech rapidly approaching, what are the implications if no government can be formed?

Jones: Well, if that were to happen, the Queen’s Speech suddenly becomes that much more critical. The Conservative party could potentially put forward a watered down legislative agenda, but if it were to lose the vote on the Queen’s Speech, it would, for all practical purposes, have to resign. This would mean that another election would have to take place.

Myers: All right. Well, Cary, the Lib Dems showed promise during the campaign with Nick Clegg’s performances in the debates, but in the end, as you said, many in the party were disappointed at the results. Would a new election improve your chances?

Jackson: I would say no, Debbie. We have to be realistic about the way the public would view a failure to form a government. As we hold the balance of power for Conservatives, I expect that we would be blamed if we could not come to an agreement. So I have been encouraging our party to continue to play a constructive role in governing this country.

Myers: Well, that’s interesting, Ken. Cary is saying that the Lib Dems have a lot to lose if a government cannot be formed. What about the Labour party?

Hyerbrough: I think no party will be happy about a new election. Having said that, Debbie, a coalition between the Tories and the Lib Dems is the only realistic way to form a majority government, and if they cannot do that, we will certainly remind the public of those parties’ failure were there to be another election campaign.

Myers: Well, that’s quite a forceful statement. Ingar, do you agree with that assessment? Is the pressure on the Conservatives?

Smythe-Wassilly: Well, there’s always pressure on the party with the most seats, particularly in a situation of this sort. We are aware that the voters have given us a mandate, and it is our responsibility to make the most of this opportunity and take this country forward.

Myers: All right. Well, this is a complex, multifaceted situation, and we would like to hear your thoughts on what should be done. So please do get in touch with us. You can get us your questions by telephone, E-mail, text message, facsimile, snail mail, or hidden message in the daily crossword. Our first question is by E-mail, and it’s from David in Leicester, England, UK. David asks whether the Conservative party is indeed trying to form a coalition with the Lib Dems or if a looser agreement, which would be considered a minority government, is in the cards. Ingar?

Smythe-Wassilly: I think you will see a very good offer from us. From what I understand, a coalition government is being offered. It will be up to the Lib Dems to decide if they can find enough common ground with us to govern jointly.

Myers: Cary, would the Conservatives have something to offer in a potential coalition government?

Jackson: I would say yes, Debbie. I believe that on policy matters, we are not as far apart as many people believe, and the possibility of seats in the government, and the opportunity to be involved in policy making to this extent, would be a major win for the Lib Dems.

Myers: All right. We now go to a question from Will in East Brockingham, England, UK. Will, are you there?

Will in East Brockingham: Yes, hi.

Myers: Hello Will. What is your question?

Will in East Brockingham: First, I would like to say hi to everyone.

Smythe-Wassilly: Hi.

Jones: Hi.

Myers: Good. What is your question, Will?

Will in East Brockingham: There is much discussion about the three major parties, but 28 seats have gone to other parties. Could the Conservatives not form a government with some of these 28 seats?

Myers: Interesting perspective. There are 28 seats held by minor parties, plus one constituency that will be holding its election later in the month. Samaraia, what is the importance of these seats?

Jones: The importance of these seats is minor. Even if we group them according to their traditional voting patterns – the Democratic Unionist Party with the Conservatives, the Social Democratic and Labour Party with Labour – that’s a swing of eight seats to the Tories and three to Labour. That’s not enough to change things significantly. The other parties involved – the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru – they simply have platforms that are not compatible with the major parties. A minority government would have to try to draw support from these parties on a vote by vote basis.

Myers: Ken, what of a partnership between Labour and the Liberal Democrats? That would make a total of 315 seats, enough to surpass the Conservatives. Could such a partnership form a viable government despite not being in the majority?

Hyerbrough: I believe that’s up to the Lib Dems. Certainly I think that such a partnership could succeed, as we could find common ground on many issues. Having said that, though, it is the Conservatives who received the largest vote total, and so they are reaching out to the Lib Dems first, as is their right.

Myers: Cary, would the Liberal Democrats be interested in a minority government with Labour?

Jackson: I would say yes, Debbie. Such a partnership could bring enormous benefits for all of Britain, and I would advise all in the party to keep that possibility in mind. However, as Ken said, we are currently in discussions with the Tories, and if an agreement can be reached there, then that is the way we will proceed.

Myers: All right. We now have a question that has reached us by hidden message in the daily crossword. It is from 43 Across, it is six letters, and it asks what Gordon Brown should do. Samaraia?

Jones: Resign.

Myers: From the PM position? Obviously that is the likely outcome.

Jones: Yes, if a government not involving Labour is formed, Gordon Brown would have to step down.

Myers: There have also been calls from prominent figures in the Labour party for him to resign from his position as Labour head. Ken, do you agree with that movement?

Hyerbrough: I do not know. Certainly voters have told us that they are not happy with the direction that the party is moving. A 91 seat loss makes that abundantly clear. Mr Brown has certainly given us good leadership these last several years, so it would be a loss for us if he did decide to step down.

Myers: All right. Well, we are short on time, so we will take one more question. It is an E-mail from Victoria in the Cotswolds, England, UK. Victoria asks why the Conservative and Labour parties are not interested in forming a coalition. Ken?

Hyerbrough: Because that would be silly.

Myers: Ingar?

Smythe-Wassilly: Well, I disagree. I do not believe that that would be silly.

Myers: What would you consider it?

Smythe-Wassilly: Preposterous, bordering on the absurd.

Myers: All right then. That is all the time that is available for Interaction this week. We thank Ms Samaraia Jones, Mr Cary Jackson, Mr Ken Hyerbrough, and Ms Ingar Smythe-Wassilly for being here today. Next week, we will be discussing the recent advent of three dimensional video technology on the public market. We will be speaking with some of the engineers who have made 3D video possible, a man who is developing new methods to stream three dimensional video data, and one of the lead campaigners against 3D video, who claims that it causes eye strain, motion sickness, and many other ailments. That will take place next week, but for now, it’s good night from us.

Smythe-Wassilly: Hey, did anyone notice that nobody said anything silly this time?

Jackson: I think we should institute electoral reform in which randomly selected Mystery Seats award bonus votes to the party that wins them.