The State We're In

"The people have spoken and we don't know what they've said"

- Ed Miliband

We are used to results in Britain. We are used to winners and losers - glorious victory or heroic defeat. That is why nobody, especially not the politicians themselves, is sure what to make of the results of the 2010 UK General Election. Six months ago the Conservatives were expected to walk the election and win a massive majority - all they had to do it seemed was to turn up and they'd win. Then Nick Clegg was being lauded as the new Churchill after a good performance in the first TV debate and some predicted that the Liberal Democrats might even win. Labour were expected to suffer a humiliating defeat and many high-profile MPs were expected to have a 'Portilio moment' and loose their seats.

But none of the above predictions happened. Instead every party lost, yet they also won. The Conservatives lost because despite Lord Ashcroft's millions, despite backing from nearly all of the UK's media, despite Labour's 13 years in government, despite Gordon Brown's unpopularity, despite the expenses scandal and despite a supposed national apathy with politics they did not win the outright majority that they expected. Yet they won because they gained 97 new MPS and got more votes and seats than any other party. Labour lost because after 13 years in power they lost their majority in the House of Commons. Yet they won because they didn't do as badly as was predicted and the Conservatives did not do as well as was predicted. The Liberal Democrats lost because despite the 'Nick Clegg effect' they had 5 fewer seats than in 2005. Yet they won because more people voted Liberal Democrat than ever before and they are now in unique but agonising position where they hold the balance of power - do they accept David Cameron's deal or support a losing Government?

It is a tough choice because whatever the Liberal Democrats decide it will affect the whole country. If they back the Conservatives and the Tories pass through unpopular cuts to public services then they will bear the brunt of a large part of the public's anger. If they take Gordon Brown's carrot of electoral reform then they will be propping up a losing government and not delivering the change that they promised to the 6.8 million people who voted for them. Perhaps the best thing for them to do would be the most Liberal Democrat thing to do - sit on the fence and don't back either party. Because if the Conservatives form a minority government and start trying to pass unpopular cuts to public services then there will soon be another General Election and the outcome may be very different. Indeed, some have predicted that because of the cuts to public services that will be made, the party that forms a government may be out of power for a generation.

But whatever happens there is still hope for Britain. Turnout at the election was higher than expected, electoral reform is now a serious national issue and everyone seems to be interested in politics again, which can only be a good thing. For years apathy has ruled Britian, this is dangerous because it gives minority parties like the BNP the chance to influence people. Thankfully we are finally realising that politics is important and it is an issue for all of us. This is important because it is only when this happens that ordinary people can start having an influence in politics again and make the politicians do what they're paid to do - work for us.

Brown vs Cameron (vs Clegg) Round One

“The purpose of politics is to give people tools to make the most of their lives.”

- Bill Clinton

And so it begins. Today Gordon Brown confirmed the worst-kept secret in British politics by announcing that the next General Election will take place on Thursday May 6 2010. All political parties will now spend the next 4 weeks trying to convince us that they will be the ones who will give us the tools to help us to make the most of our lives.

For the first time in a generation the Conservatives are favourites and they certainly have the financial backing - notably the millions from tax-exile Lord Ashcroft, enabling them to spend millions on advertising. They also have the backing of The Sun, the best selling newspaper in Britain, who infamously 'won it'  for the Tories with their anti-Labour headlines and stories in 1992.

But it's not just the traditional mediums of billboards, leaflets and tabloid newspapers that will influence the result of the General Election. For the first time the online world is set to play a big role as voters discuss the pros and cons of all parties across the social media of Twitter and Facebook. And in the 21st Century it's not just media-savvy 20 and 30-somethings who use the web to discuss and debate the issues of the day. Political parties are aware of the influence that sites like netmums.com can have and political activists have even been rumoured to have tried to infiltrate the message boards of such sites to try and influence voters.

The 2010 General Election will also see TV debates for the first time. An idea borrowed from American politics in an attempt to help reconnect the nation with politics again. Whether it will work will remain to be seen - the many rules and regulations are likely to prevent any real excitement over these political debates. But if  X-Factor, I'm a Celebrity... and a whole host of other reality TV shows have told us anything, it's that people love to vote - if you give them enough encouragement to do it. Perhaps Ant and Dec should be hosting the election - "If you don't want your favourite politician to loose the chance to win the keys to the Number 10 house then vote now. Gordon really doesn't want to leave the house. Remember every vote really does count!" 

Whilst they won't be enlisting the help of two Geordie TV presenters, because the election is set to be so tight, all political parties are likely to try almost anything to get us to vote for them. The Conservatives may be ahead in polls but it doesn't mean that a Tory victory is inevitable. The Lib Dems were once seen as wasted vote but the prospect of a hung parliament means that they may have important role to play in the next parliament. But at the end of the day it will be up to us to decide. That's the beauty of democracy and that's something that we seem to have lost touch with. Hopefully the prediction that this election will be genuinely close will help to get us, the apathetic docile masses, to be interested in politics again. Because whatever the outcome of the next election, a national reconnection with politics can only be a good thing.