Cameron becomes prime minister

[canetoad]

Source: Guardian

Cameron becomes prime minister
• New PM to build full coalition with Lib Dems
• Tory leader says UK faces 'pressing problems'



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/

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This is the front page of the Guardian. The rest of the story is breaking on the Live Blog
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/may/11/general-election-2010-live-blog

[truebrit71]

1. Ugh...looks like I won't be going home anytime soon...

..smug toffee-nosed git...

[Ian David]

2. I guess he won't have time now to make a sequel to Avatar.

I know.

I was kidding.

[Critters2]

15. Like nt

[David__77]

3. Lib Dem better get proportional representation.

Otherwise, a left-center coalition of Labor/Lib/PC/SNP/SDLP is possible.

[h9socialist]

5. You gotta be kiddin'!!!!!!

Even as "Dave the Upperclass Twit of the Year" was promising a referendum on electoral reform, the Conservative Party was vowing to oppose it. Don't get your hopes up!

[h9socialist]

4. Tell Sarkozy to expect "Dunkirk in reverse!"

[Arkana]

6. I can't believe Nick Clegg made a deal with the Tories.

Seriously. What's with that?

[Pab Sungenis]

11. The same basic way Jack Layton sold out the Liberals in Canada

by calling for the vote of no confidence that handed the reins to Stephen Harper.

For the LibDems, as with the NDP, it's become about destroying their main rival.

[JI7]

14. reminds me of a certain party here

[Democat]

7. WTF happened to Clegg?

Wow.

[daleo]

8. The status quo has its ways

It's not easy to resist the seductions of powerful interests in the media and the corporate world. That doesn't make it right, though.

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. Labour didn't want to change their own proposals

so Clegg went back to the Tories.

[nxylas]

12. That and the Tories got more votes

Clegg didn't want to be seen to be propping up a discredited Labour government. Once the Tories made their offer of a referendum on AV, it was a no-brainer for him. Clegg has no love of Labour, and apparently sees no reason for them to even exist now that they have sold out their working-class, unionised base.

[DFLforever]

17. Interesting how Labour maintained their "Old Labour"

working class voting base in the election though, isn't it?

How would you explain that?

[LeftishBrit]

22. Because the Tories are even worse, that's how.

[saigon68]

31. Kind of like voting for the Present Occupant in 2012

[nxylas]

34. And because tribal loyalties die hard

Pity the loyalty is entirely one-way.

[T_i_B]

35. Plus, fear of Tory cuts

I'm round a few staunch Labour areas these days and that's the big thing for a lot of people. We all now that cuts in government expenditure are coming but the worst cuts are expected from the Tories. That's what drove a lot of people back to Labour.

For the record. The seat I live in went from safe Labour to marginal Labour.

[T_i_B]

33. The Tories got more votes and seats

As such it wouldn't have been as credible not to have them in government.

Lib Dems and Labour did try for a deal, but it fell through for a number of reasons.

[Turborama]

13. Clegg To Be Deputy PM In New-Look Cabinet

George Osborne will be Chancellor but Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg will be Deputy Prime Minister in the new-look Cabinet, Sky sources say.

Following Gordon Brown's resignation as prime minister and his own succession to the role, Tory leader David Cameron revealed a deal for a full coalition with the Lib Dems had been struck to end 13 years of New Labour rule.

Sky News political editor Adam Boulton said he understood that George Osborne would get the job of Chancellor, despite speculation that Lib Dem treasury spokesman Vince Cable would be given the job.

"My understanding is that there is a written agreement between the two parties that outlines their roles and responsibilities," he said.

Continues: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/General-Election-2010-Details-Of-How-The-New-Tory-And-Liberal-Democrat-Government-Will-Work/Article/201005215630008?lpos=Politics_Carousel_Region_3&lid=ARTICLE_15630008_General_Election_2010:_Details_Of_How_The_New_Tory_And_Liberal_Democrat_Government_Will_Work

Sky are now saying the Lib Dems will have 5 cabinet minsters and it'll be a 5 year parliament.

[Heywood J]

16. Labour gave the world Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and

helped make the Iraq War possible (by lending credibility to Bush). While the UK Conservative party has all manner of faults, I can't blame Nick Clegg for not wanting to support Labour's corruption either. His part in government stands to last longer this way, and he can pull his support at any time.

[regnaD kciN]

9. Instant analysis...

:puke:

[KamaAina]

18. WTF? Just yesterday all systems were go for the "traffic light coalition"

And now suddenly Mr Clegg sells the realm out to the To(R)ies. :(

[Odin2005]

19. I hope Clegg got a referendum on PR out of the deal.

[nxylas]

20. Sorta kinda

The referendum will be on a move to the Alternative Vote (AV) system, also known as instant runoff voting, so it falls short of true PR, but is still an improvement on First Past the Post (I think).

[fishwax]

27. thanks for that info n/t

[LeftishBrit]

21. 'Tory leader says UK faces 'pressing problems''. You bet. And he's the biggest one!

Please wish us all the best in getting rid of him as soon as possible and meanwhile preventing him from gutting the country the way Thatcher did. At least it will be a minority government, so Dave the Prat and his more right-wing handlers may not have it all their own way.

[regnaD kciN]

23. United Kingdom: under Conservative government...

Canada: under Conservative government.
France: under Conservative government.
Italy: under Conservative government.
Germany: under Conservative government.

Who dreamed the U.S. would currently be the bulwark against a worldwide Conservative surge? :-(

[depakid]

24. Except of course that at least three of the four (and one could argue all four)

are considerably more progressive than the center right Democrats who control policy making in Washington, D.C.

[nxylas]

36. Like Jon Stewart said...

"You have to remember that Canada is a more liberal country, so their Conservative Party is equivalent to our Gay Nader Fans for Peace".

[Nihil]

30. Ha ha ha - nice one!

F*ck me ... you were serious?!?!
:wow:

[grantcart]

25. I wonder why Clegg didn't let him set up a minority government

Have to admit their conservatives are a lot classier than ours.

[New Dawn]

26. This sounds like great news for the Labour Party in the long run.

The Lib Dems will lose support for forming a coalition with the Tories.

[depakid]

28. That depends

If the referendum passes, Labour loses its "strategic" vote- which they have wielded, just like the American Democrats, in their march toward the right.

They may still receive the next preference in order- but that might not be enough to keep them from being eclipsed by the Liberal Dems in many constituencies.

[Jim Lane]

29. What are the major policy differences between Labour and the Liberal Democrats?

Your post leaves me with the impression that Labour has moved to the right enough that the Lib Dems are more progressive. Is that accurate? Can you elaborate?

I can understand the Lib Dems' desire for proportional representation - that's in their party's interest. What else is at stake?

Pardon my ignorance, but the coverage in the U.S. has been mostly about the horse-race aspects, not the substance.

[muriel_volestrangler]

32. Economically, there's not a huge difference between them

The Lib Dems want to raise the threshold at which you start to pay income tax from about £6,000 to£10,000, but want to alter who child tax credits are paid to. An attempt to sort it out here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/parties_and_issues/8652303.stm

The Lib Dems want to scrap ID cards; this looks like it will happen, because the Tories didn't like them either. The Lib Dems also called for not replacing the British nuclear missile submarines with a new set, but instead reviewing the whole British nuclear deterrent; both Labour and the Tories want new nuclear-armed submarines, and the Tories (and thus Labour) have got their way on that.

The LibDems don't want new nuclear power stations, and both Labour and the Tories do, and it looks as if they'll get their way, though it's possible the Lib Dems have persuaded the Tories to look at the subsidies involved, which may mean less stations get built. That still has to be worked out. The BBC business editor said, a couple of hours ago:

"One of the most difficult areas of negotiation between the Lib Dems and the Tories was on nuclear power, where the Lib Dems take the view that new nuclear power should not receive a public subsidy of any sort, says the BBC's business editor Robert Peston. In the end, as I understand, nuclear power is one of those areas where the two have agreed to disagree, which creates considerable uncertainty for the two big companies, EDF and Centrica, that are hoping to roll out a series of enormous new nuclear power stations."

[Jim Lane]

37. Thanks! Now the question is what the Lib Dems will get from their deal with the Tories. (n/t)

[muriel_volestrangler]

38. Coalition agreement text here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4378406

They've got 5 cabinet posts:
deputy PM (which doesn't have specific responsibilities, so potentially can be like being VP to a healthy president)

Chief Secretary to the Treasury (that's no. 2 at the Treasury; this post will have to negotiate department budgets with other cabinet members - could be a poisoned chalice)

Business Secretary (with, it would seem, an increased responsibility for banks, compared to the previous holder - this has gone to Vince Cable, who was the British politician who most warned about debt problems before the economy went tits up - if he does well, this will be a good post to have, but again, the dangers of being the one blamed for problems is high)

Environment and Climate Change Secretary (makes sense - the Lib Dems are greener than the Tories)

Scottish Secretary (not a big job, now that many powers are devolved to the Scottish parliament, but since there's only 1 Tory Scottish MP, and he's pretty junior, it makes sense to give this to the Lib Dems).

So the major positions are all Conservative.
The media say most, if not all, departments will have 1 Lib Dem MP among the junior ministers.