A New Politics

The election is over and the people have elected their representatives. However, unlike the usual process the make up of the MP's returned to the House of Commons does not form an overall majority for any one single party, and we find ourselves within the sphere of a Hung Parliament or, using the less pejorative term, a Balanced Parliament.

The reaction to the events which have occurred after the results were announced however have not be positive. I think that this is based upon a fundamental misunderstanding of the political process in the country.

The first misconception is that people are voting for a government when they vote. This is not the basis of the UK political system. The way our system is formed is on the basis of voting for someone to represent them in the Commons, someone to fight for the constituency that they are elected to represented and to try to achieve the manifesto that they are elected on.

The government is formed once the individual constituencies have had their say. If there are sufficient MP's of the same party to form an overall majority then they will form a government.

However, the electorate does not directly vote for a government. They do not vote for the Prime Minister. The UK system is a parliamentary and not a presidential system, like in America.

The new territory for the present generation is that there is not an overall majority of MP's for any one party, so the automatic formation of a government is not possible as is the usual case.

Now is the time for a new politics. A politics based on principle and national interest. A politics based on consensus, compromise, and agreement.

This is a politics which is not the usual for us. We are used to confrontation rather than co-operation, argument rather than agreement.

The needs of the country at the moment, in light of the uncertain economic situation which faces us, is for a stable government - a government that can command a majority within the House of Commons. This will only be achieved through political parties co-operating and compromising, reaching a consensus on priority of policy and principles.

The is no denying that the Conservatives have the strongest mandate and the right to try and form this government. It is only right that they have reached out to the Liberal Democrats to try and form this government. A government comprised of two parties will be stronger and more stable than a government of many parties (which is what the "rainbow" alliance that would be needed for the Labour party to form a government).

All parties fight for their manifesto commitments in a election, party politics is the name of the game. However, without the overall majority there will need to be some compromises. No party can hope to full achieve their manifesto pledges, no party can hope to implement their manifesto as if they had an overall majority.

For a government to be formed there will need to be compromise by both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats on their manifesto pledges.

Now is not the time for party politics. Now is the time for a government in the national interest.

Now is the time for a new politics, a politics based on co-operation and consensus, based on agreement and not argument, based on compromise and not confrontation.