So there was a General Election in the UK yesterday and following one of the closest fought campaigns in the past 20 years, the outcome is anything but conclusive. As it currently stands the Conservative Party has 306 seats, the Labour Party has 258 seats and the Liberal Democrats have 57 seats. This means that no one has a majority in order to take control and form a government. 

Since this situation became apparent early this morning, the politicians have been locked into a three way dance, with both of the major parties making overtures to the Liberal Democrats in order to establish if they could form a coalition. To my mind a Lib/Lab pact is the most likely outcome simply because of the similarities between the two. Having said that, David Cameron made a very strong speech this afternoon which was clearly aimed at wooing Nick Clegg. 

From a wider perspective, this is the worst possible outcome. There is already much discussion of the effect that the instability could have on the money markets with the pound falling significantly in value against the dollar over the past few hours. Added to this, I can easily imagine that whoever takes the helm either as a minority government or a coalition will want a proper mandate and end up going back to the people and calling another election in the next few months. 

One of the aspects of an election which often gets forgotten once the results are announced is the massive efforts of all the campaigners up and down the country who put in long hours and many miles of walking to promote their chosen candidate. They should all, regardless of the outcome, be praised for their hard work and enthusiasm 

I have watched the coverage today with interest and remember what it was like to cover an election as a journalist. I have been enormously impressed with the efforts of reporters and presenters who have put in the hours and worked incredibly hard obviously with very little sleep to keep viewers, listeners and readers informed. I hope they all get some time to recover over the next few days. 

 

So there was a General Election in the UK yesterday and following one of the closest fought campaigns in the past 20 years, the outcome is anything but conclusive. As it currently stands the Conservative Party has 306 seats, the Labour Party has 258 seats and the Liberal Democrats have 57 seats. This means that no one has a majority in order to take control and form a government. 

Since this situation became apparent early this morning, the politicians have been locked into a three way dance, with both of the major parties making overtures to the Liberal Democrats in order to establish if they could form a coalition. To my mind a Lib/Lab pact is the most likely outcome simply because of the similarities between the two. Having said that, David Cameron made a very strong speech this afternoon which was clearly aimed at wooing Nick Clegg. 

From a wider perspective, this is the worst possible outcome. There is already much discussion of the effect that the instability could have on the money markets with the pound falling significantly in value against the dollar over the past few hours. Added to this, I can easily imagine that whoever takes the helm either as a minority government or a coalition will want a proper mandate and end up going back to the people and calling another election in the next few months. 

One of the aspects of an election which often gets forgotten once the results are announced is the massive efforts of all the campaigners up and down the country who put in long hours and many miles of walking to promote their chosen candidate. They should all, regardless of the outcome, be praised for their hard work and enthusiasm 

I have watched the coverage today with interest and remember what it was like to cover an election as a journalist. I have been enormously impressed with the efforts of reporters and presenters who have put in the hours and worked incredibly hard obviously with very little sleep to keep viewers, listeners and readers informed. I hope they all get some time to recover over the next few days. 

 

So the worst kept secret in Britain is finally out of the bag as Gordon Brown went to Buckingham Palace yesterday to ask the Queen for a disillusion of Parliament and to hold a general election on 6 May. The media have been gearing up for the announcement for months. Something which was made obvious by the wall to wall coverage yesterday. So we are now in for a month of hard fought campaigning which will no doubt get acres of coverage. A highlight will be the party leader's TV debates which promise a new element that could have an unexpected effect on the polls. One of the biggest problems at every election is voter apathy. Although turnout increased in 2005 compared to 2001 it was still nowhere near the 70 percent or more seen for previous national polls. With the recent expenses scandal hanging over Westminster like a cloud and many people frustrated at the perceived similarity of the main parties, some voters are probably considering staying at home but I would urge everyone who can to take the time on 6 May to have their say.

So the worst kept secret in Britain is finally out of the bag as Gordon Brown went to Buckingham Palace yesterday to ask the Queen for a disillusion of Parliament and to hold a general election on 6 May. The media have been gearing up for the announcement for months. Something which was made obvious by the wall to wall coverage yesterday. So we are now in for a month of hard fought campaigning which will no doubt get acres of coverage. A highlight will be the party leader's TV debates which promise a new element that could have an unexpected effect on the polls. One of the biggest problems at every election is voter apathy. Although turnout increased in 2005 compared to 2001 it was still nowhere near the 70 percent or more seen for previous national polls. With the recent expenses scandal hanging over Westminster like a cloud and many people frustrated at the perceived similarity of the main parties, some voters are probably considering staying at home but I would urge everyone who can to take the time on 6 May to have their say.