Dengl 28 Reflections on the UK ELection 2010

To The Times 7 May
In the uncertain situation facing the nation towards the resolution of this Election, Her Majesty can play a constructive role.
She is not expected to tell party leaders what they might best do, but she can ask pertinent questions.
If Gordon Brown exercises his right to suggest to HM that he can form an administration, she might ask him these questions:
do you intend, as a principled measure, to work first towards the stabilisation and boosting of the economy?
Will you need the help of the Liberal Democrats to succeed in this task?
Will you then introduce some form of Proportional Representation?
Given that you did not introduce that, before the Election, when you had a large majority which would have helped to achieve
such a measure, are you sure that the British public would then see this as a move of high principle?
If Her Majesty does pose some such questions, it might be appropriate for them (and the replies) to be published.

Yours sincerely,

To The Times 9 May
It seems to have received little attention that in England, where there were local elections alongside the national one, there was a swing to Labour. Where I live, Labour have recaptured the council. The implication to my mind is that there may not have been a "real swing back to Labour" but that, had voters turned out in the last local election in the same proportion in which they did now, at the general election (and coincidentally, voting for local councillors), there would have been a larger proportion voting for labour last time.
Prompting a greater turnout for local elections would be a good thing, and thought needs to be given now as to how to achieve this - as we can not rely every time on a parallel polling exercise with the general election.

To The Times 11 May
Gordon Brown: One further Courageous Step Required
Ed Balls is quoted by the BBC as saying (about Labour's procedures towards finding a new party leader) : "It's an important day. But we will take the time we need to take to make sure we get this right."

This is outrageous and unacceptable. It is not for the Labour party to "take the time we need" when it is the nation that needs - and indeed our allies need - that we have a valid government as soon as possible. The first priority is to tackle the national debt; voting reform comes later. Brown blocks progress through the convention that he runs the government until he has the courage to go to Her Majesty and say he can not do it any longer. He has told us, the people, he can not do so; he should now go and formally tell Her Majesty and it is for her to call upon someone else to try and form an administration.

To The Times 13 May
Merits of the Conservative Liberal Democrat Coalition
At least one experienced analyst of the press and politics, Roy Greenslade, has forecast (yesterday) that several influential newspapers will now give Mr Clegg and his team a very hard time, reinforcing the notion of division rather than of working together.
It may be useful though to look at some potentially very useful elements of this coalition, ones which will appeal to the same section of the press which Greenslade says will be alienated and hostile.
One possible development is that, when in Government at Westminster, Mr Clegg and his supporters will come to value this central British institution and understand and even support why so many others want to repatriate powers from Brussels.
The other is that a significant number of MPs from Scotland are now in Westminster Government, rather than what would have been the case had a "blue" England been attempting to rule the United Kingdom manifestly alienating the "red" Scots. To a considerable extent now, the Scots are joined with the Welsh, English and Northern Irish in a project to make the best of this great United Kingdom. I hope the press will realise and celebrate this.