Showing posts with label Gordon Brown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gordon Brown. Show all posts

Friday, May 07, 2010

UK Election Winner David Cameron Can't Get No Satisfaction Either

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Now we know where the sometimes confusing results of the elections in America come from, the UK. Only in America can you win the popular vote and lose the election (Bush-Gore 2000). So much of America is influenced by the old British Empire it is only appropriate our elections are as well.



Yesterday, on the 45th anniversary of the writing of the rock anthem I Can't Get No Satisfaction" by the legendary British invaders the Rolling Stones, the UK election ended with winner David Cameron singing I Can't Get No Satisfaction. Just like the Bush victory in 2000, this election ended in titillating controversy, what the British call a hung Parliament.



The 2000 election ended November 7 with Florida being a contested state and three rulings later by the US Supreme Court on December 12, Bush was officially declared the winner. Gore won the popular vote but Bush won the electoral vote and presidency.



In the UK the Conservatives knocked Prime Minister Brown out of the top spot by capturing around 306 seats in parliament to 258 for Brown's party but they were short of the 326 needed to take control of the government. Now the Conservatives have to cut a deal with the third place Liberal Democrat party, 57 seats, to share the victory or Brown, the loser, might just remain as Prime Minister under his government.

Sound complicated? Try explaining the US electoral college to the British.

The UK Conservative Unionist party is the center-right leaning party, the successor to the Tory party. You won't find many unions in America leaning center-right. The Labour party of Brown and previously Blair is center-left leaning, more like the American democrats and unions. But the Liberal Democrat party is the center left socialist liberal party, more like the far left in America.



Since Cameron and the Conservatives did not get a majority they have to cut a deal with the Liberal Democrats in order for Cameron to become Prime Minister. That would be like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck forming a coalition with Keith Obermann and Chris Matthews. Sounds more like a nuclear reaction.

Then



and now



Anyway, if no one can form a coalition then the Queen is stuck with figuring out who to ask to be the next prime minister and form a new government. She can get along with anyone since she has had 11 PMs from Winston Churchill to Gordon Brown but her 12th might be the toughest task.



By the way, the endorsement of American Idol's Simon Cowell at the last minute of David Cameron did not seem to be enough to get the Conservatives the majority. So now we wait and see if the British have any better luck than we did in 2000 and finally get a new PM.

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