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When Gordon The Ego finally allows the country to vote, probably in the next two months, there is a possibility there will be a hung parliament. Voting is not something The Ego believes in as we saw with him considering going to the country when he took over from Blair, but then decided against having an Election because he realised he wouldn't win it.

As the Tory lead is shrinking all the time there is a possibilty that he and Etonian Dave may end up as joint-Prime Ministers. Does anyone know how a hung Parliament will work? There must have been one or two, many years ago, but there has not been one recently, and I wonder how they will get Bills through the House. With no overall majority for either main party Parliamentary work will become difficult. Also, will Etonian Dave and Gordon The Ego both live in Downing Street?

Even if it's not a hung parliament I think the winner will have such a narrow majority that another election will be called within a few years.

max_tranmere wrote:


> As the Tory lead is shrinking all the time there is a
> possibilty that he and Etonian Dave may end up as joint-Prime
> Ministers.

Yet again showing your ignorance. There is no such thing as "joint Prime Ministers"

If there is a hung parliament (ie no one party has more seats than all the other parties put together) the leader of the largest party will be invited by the Queen to form a government. While precedence shows they have done so in the past, they do not necessarily have to accept.

Whoever does accept will either have to muddle through with a minority and look for ad hoc support from the minor parties to get certain bills through, or actually have a formal coalition with one of the minor parties which could see members of the minority party being given official posts (for example Nick Clegg could ask to be made Chancellor in return for the support of his party).

> Does anyone know how a hung Parliament will work?

Not very well, as our first-past-the-post system has rarely resulted in hung parliaments, so our politicians are unused to working with members of other parties. Expect the usual back biting and infighting

> There must have been one or two, many years ago, but there has
> not been one recently,

How recent is recent? I remember the last couple of times it happened. Labour won the February 1974 General Election that Heath had called and for about a day or so no-one knew who might be PM. Heath tried to negotiate a coalition with Thorpe's Liberals but was turned down, so word was passed to the Palace that the Queen should ask Wilson to form a government, which he accepted. Given he had not called the original election, and given no party had an overall majority, it was generally seen as acceptable that he call another election which duly took place in October of the same year, where Labour was returned with a working majority. The only other hung parliament following an election was in 1923

By the end of 1978, however (and now under Callaghan's leadership), Labour had lost sufficient by-elections to put them a couple of seats short of an overall majority. For a while they struggled on with the support of the SDLP MPs from Northern Ireland, but eventually Callaghan went to the country where he was defeated by Thatcher.

I take it, Max, that if you did go to school, you spent most of the time gazing out of the window?

> and I wonder how they will get Bills
> through the House. With no overall majority for either main
> party Parliamentary work will become difficult.

The same way as any other Government does... once a bill has had it's second reading it then goes to the committee stage, followed by the House of Lords, before a third and final reading (I've generalised here for the sake of brevity). Even governments with healthy majorities can have legislation scuppered, so being in a minority isn't as bad as some may think. Obviously the more contentious the bill the less likely it will get through.


> Also, will Etonian Dave and Gordon The Ego both live in Downing Street?

This is where your ignorance and stupidity shines so brightly!!! There can only be ONE Prime Minister, so whoever is PM will live at 10 Downing Street. For example, during WWII there was a coalition government made up of Conservatives, Labour and Liberals, but only Churchill was PM. Attlee, the Labour leader and deputy Prime Minister did not live at No 10

Hung parliament, mmn, now there's a thing.
I think the bastards should be hung!

Correct?

porn historian = detective?

Don't give up your day job.

Snapping? Me? Hardly. Just giving you a bit of advice if you're thinking of moving into the private investigation business !wink!

Bob's been a member here a loooong time.