An unpredictable, exhilarating night for democracy

Although this was my first time being able to vote in a general election, due to my obessesiveness with politics and elections I know that this was perhaps the most unpredictable general elections for generations. There were marginals with tiny majorities that failed to be enveloped by the Tories while simultaneously apparently unwinnable seats fell with unprecedented swings.

The Liberal Democrats did terribly considering up until polling day they were on course to winning around 90 seats. They lost 13 seats and only gained 8. Indeed, I don't think Lembit Opik was expecting to lose his Montgomeryshire seat with a swing to the Tories of 13.2%. The election results quite frankly are all over the place.

I somehow managed to watch the whole thing from 10pm straight up until just over an hour ago thanks to the splendours of lucozade. So, what happens now?

Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats would be fools if they do not accept Cameron's offer of cooperation. If they refuse, they will look partisan and if they accept they will, after 100 years have some say in government. Personally I think this is the most favourable outcome of the hung parliament scenarios because it means Labour is finally (well, hopefully) gone for a few years while bi-partisanship and cooperation for the good of the nation will be a good symbol of democracy at work.

The swing to the Tories while not enough to gain them a workable majority, still is an impressive feat. The swing overall is larger than that of Thatcher in 1979 and indeed the Tories have gained more seats in this election than they have since 1931. Considering only a week ago it looked as though the Lib-Dem surge would be maintained until polling day, Cameron has succeeded. His party admittedly will be angry and frustrated: how on earth did they not have a landslide when the government has presided over 13 years of bloated, stagnant failures led since 2007 by a universally unpopular Prime Minister?

The answer to that is relatively simple; the Tories were starting off at a relatively low base with which to gain a majority so to gain 100 seats is something the Tories should feel positive about.

What now must happen is serious plans for deficit reduction and spending cuts in order to get the country moving again. The recent economic developments in Greece, Portugal, Spain and last night New York are all signifying the incredible problems ahead for this country. Do I think a hung parliament will inhibit any solutions to this problem? No. This could be the opportunity where the parties come together in order to tackle the almost insurmountable structural deficit we as a nation currently possess.

Overall an interesting night with some spectacularly random results. Congratulations to Zac Goldsmith for winning Richmond Park off Susan Kramer despite the Lib-Dem surge. I've always liked Mr. Goldsmith and am sure he will be a more than capable MP. Also congratulations to Caroline Lucas in winning the first Green seat in Brighton Pavilion. Now don't get me wrong, I personally despise the Green Party's blatant communist, tax-obessessed mentality but to win a seat at Westminster when your party's national share of the vote is currently just 1.0% (285,616) is quite an achievement.

Comiserations to Nigel Farage in coming third in Buckingham, I also hope he and the pilot have a speedy recovery after the unfortunate plane crash that occured yesterday.

With a hung parliament now clearly official, I can happily say I am excited about what this will do for politics in Britain.

The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats would be wise to now work together to sort this country out. The voters deserve honesty, clarity and much-needed solutions.

Let's just see what happens...

Brown has survived 'Bigotgate', but can he survive tonight's final debate?

What a gaffe that was yesterday, undoubtedly the most cringeworthy, appalling incident of the election campaign. The most enraging part of it all was when after coming out of Ms. Duffy's home after the apology he said with that horrendously eerie fake smile that he was 'mortified'. Then why were you smiling you strange man?!

Despite the monumental cock-up, the whole thing doesn't really seem to have done any damage to Labour in today's polls. So with that, all eyes are now on tonight's crucial final debate. This could just be the turning point of the campaign and with just a week to go the pressure on the three party leaders must be immense.

Brown despite all his failings, can appear strong on the economy. This of course in turn despite the evident fact that he was the one as Chancellor and then Prime Minister who presided over the economic recession and record inflation of our public deficit and national debt. He will spew out numbers and statistics that will out-flank and disorientate the two other naive younger opponents and in order for them to really destroy him they must be prepared with counter-attacks.

Brown's incumbancy is simultaneously his asset and his liability and he will attempt to ring circles around Cameron and Clegg to ensure its the former, not the latter, that the public see tonight.

For Cameron, this is his final chance to prove to the electorate that he can be the agent of change. Do I think this will happen? No. He has been too soft in this campaign; trying too hard to be statesmen-like when ideally he could have gone on the offensive and tore both Labour and the Liberal Democrats apart. He didn't because his party failed to give the clear message of what, when, and how they were going to cut in order to bring down the deficit. They fell into the Blairite trap of nauseating soundbites and slogans such as 'We're all in this together' which fell on deaf ears from an electorate literally numbed by political spin. We have after all, lived under New Labour for the past 13 years. Tonight he must be ruthless and concise in his argument; he must spell out in detail what the Tories will do and when, and above all he must show the electorate how they are different from the other two parties in the debate.

For Clegg too this will be a defining moment: will this debate cement the surge of support gained in the past two weeks or will his weakness on the economy ultimately be his undoing? Personally I do hope the latter occurs precisely because Clegg has become arrogant and presumptious over his potential power and demands should a hung parliament materialise on May 7th. He does not deserve the support of the British people. Nonetheless it is of course the wider electorate in particular the undecideds and marginal voters who will decide the fate of this debate and indeed the election next week. Clegg will have to show he is strong on the economy and be willing to defend his plans for tax reform from two opponents who I presume will be doing their utmost to bring him finally down.

All them will have to answer the questions surrounding the apparent blackholes in all their spending plans, if they don't I am certain the electorate will not tolerate it and rightly so. It is about time we had some honesty and clarity in this campaign, especially when it comes down to the state of our economy.

Will Brown win the debate? I doubt it but I do think it will be close. My prediction (and admittedly I was wrong in the last two: I thought Cameron won both...) is Brown and Cameron neck and neck in first place with Clegg behind but only by a few points. We shall have to wait and see.

UKIP: A party in an unique position

Despite the apparent three-party squeeze in the opinion polls lately, the UK Independence Party is in an unique position to take voters from all the three old parties and succeed in gaining the current target of one million votes. Indeed in the last national election to take place with the European Elections in June 2009, UKIP not only came second ahead of the Labour government(a record in itself) but also came first in normally strongholds of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Tories.

This I believe is not only because UKIP is the radical alternative for voters fed up with the three failed old parties, but also because the party incorporates policies from across the political spectrum. UKIP believes in common sense and pragmatism over narrow-minded political tribalism. It offers everyone a radical difference. A new kind of politics, a new refreshing take on government where the people are at the heart of its motives.

Just go see for yourself.

Labour on course for worst electoral results since 1918

With all the media focus now on the Liberal Democrats and whether Cameron can have a come-back that would give him a working majority in Parliament, it seems everyone has forgotten the fact that Labour are on course for an electoral catastrophe. According to the opinion polls Labour are on average at just 27% of the vote. This if repeated on May 6th will be worse than Labour's horrendous defeat in 1983 when Michael Foot was leader. Indeed the latest ICM poll to come out has Labour currently on 26%.

The reason this has not been talked about as much as it should is because Labour are hoping to cling on to power with the help of the Liberal Democrats and their holier-than-thou pure leader, Nick Clegg. As I've said in previous posts, due to the current electoral system even if Labour come third in the popular vote they could still have the most seats come May 7th. So, despite the fact on average some 73% of the electorate plan to vote against Labour they may still be in power for another four or five years. God help us all.

Personally I plan to vote for neither of the three old parties. I am putting my faith in the UK Independence Party because I support their 31% flat tax and especially as a younger person support their no tax on the minimum wage and their plans to abolish tuition fees.

One word of advice to the Tories though, maybe if you highlighted the fact the Labour government are on course for a major haemorraging of electoral support that has not been witnessed for decades, you might just turn the tide. The scrutiny that should have been given to the Liberal Democrats also has not succeeded because Cameron didn't go straight for the jugular.

Anyway enough of that, vote UKIP!

The three failed old parties left the elephants waiting in the room

The second of the Prime-Ministerial debates ended last night with a somewhat expected anti-climax. Focusing on Foreign Affairs, the debate gave the three party leaders the chance to flex their muscles and show (or in Brown's case reinforce) what they can do for Britain in the world. Not one of them proved they can be an international statesman and why I hear you cry? Because they neglected the crucial international issues that affect Britain: the European Union, mass immigration and international security.

The EU was always going to be a tough one for Cameron, his own party is still split (albeit behind the scenes) over Europe and his own position on it leaves many suspicious. His performance reminded me of William Hague's pathetic "In Europe, not run by Europe" rubbish from when he was Tory leader. Let's just get this straight shall we, if we are in the political institution of the European Union we ARE run by Europe. As an EU member, we cannot determine our own trade deals, immigration levels and even to some extent our own judicial matters.

It was the simple fact that because we had our own currency as opposed to the Euro, we could revalue and in turn lower interest rates during the recession. This then saved us from the economic oblivion witnessed in Greece and the other weaker European economies which are in an economic straighjacket with the more robust and larger economies of Germany and France. None of this was mentioned by the three leaders last night.

The European Union is a prison of nations, not one of the 500 million people of the 27 member states has had a democratic say on this union, Britain in particular not since 1975. Even those who have such as the Irish in 2008 and 2009, when they initially said no to further political union they were told to vote again until they said yes and then legislation is rammed down our throats without us asking for it. It is an undemocratic, unaccountable, bureaucratic monstrosity. The reason Britain has not had a say over this for 35 years is because the three old parties know the British would vote no to further political union.

Why should we be controlled by something that we cannot even vote for? The European Parliament doesn't even create legislation it merely votes yes or no to the laws made by the unelected European Commission; appointed by the member states instead of by vote. The EU is a farce and the three political leaders last night shied away from fear of the truth. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Outside of the European Union, an independent Britain could choose to trade with the world, with growing economies such as Brazil, India and China. We could control immigration to levels that don't put pressure on our public services but still maintain and allow economic workers to come and commit to our economy. We could determine what countries we can help with aid and create trade agreements to inject prosperity into the third world countries. We could look at our parliament and see a fully accountable democracy where the undemocratic EU does not hold any power.

The three failed old parties failed to mention all that last night. They scaremonger saying Britain would be isolated with the world, trade would plummet and jobs would disappear. Nonsense! There is nothing stopping an independent Britain reaching out to the world and trading and cooperatiing with nations. Switzerland and Norway are not within the EU, are they isolated? No. Britain can be a global economic and trading power outside the shackles of the European Union. They say the EU has stopped wars in Europe. Not true. Before the official creation of the EEC (which turned into the EU) in 1973, it was NATO and the United Nations that brought the nations of the world together without any political union needed.

Last night the three leaders lied to you, they have lied to all of us for decades. For once vote for honesty and straight talking, clarity and commonsense.

Ban the Bercow.

John Bercow is perhaps one of the most odious characters around. By all accounts arrogant, full of himself and an opportunist who became Speaker thanks to the partisan backing of Labour MPs, he really does need to go.

Great then to see that Nigel Farage, who would be an amazingly good Member of Parliament for Buckingham, using the internet to help raise funds. It doesn't matter to the people of Buckingham whether they are a Labour, Tory or Lib Dem voter - none of these parties are standing. It is a straight choice between a man who represents the cosy consensus of modern day Westminster politics, and the man who could help to single-handidly shatter that consensus into a million pieces.

Go on, donate and help get Nigel Farage into the House of Commons. UKIP really could win in Buckingham.

The more I see Clegg, the more I despise him

After recently finishing watching Clegg being spectacularly interrogated by students on BBC Radio 1 (shown on the BBC Parliament Channel) I have come to the conclusion that Clegg is truly out of his depth when it comes to policy scrutiny. He could barely answer the students' excellent questions and for that reason, I cannot for the life of me stand him. Here is a man whose party is ahead in the majority of opinion polls and he can't answer questions on his own policies for government!

One student rightly asked how illegal immigrants could prove they have been here for more than 10 years in order to meet the Lib-Dems' amnesty deal. How can they if they are illegal? Moreover, what message does it give not only to other immigrants who actually do their bit but also to the rest of the population? Well done Mr. Illegal you've managed to hide out here illegally for ten years, welcome to Britain!

Clegg also ridiculously made the point that all these illegal immigrants get taken in by vicious gangs. Um, what about the illegal immigrants who don't but can somehow claim benefits through our massively flawed welfare system? What about those who have nothing to do with these gangs? It was such an incredible marginalisation on Clegg's part I think even the illegal immigrants who would benefit the amnesty would be offended.

The Liberal Democrats are ridiculous. Clegg is a joke who once properly interrogated over policy where they are properly scrutinised, he has few answers. The answers he does give are laughable and insulting.

I don't like either Cameron or Brown, but I hope they decimate Clegg in tomorrows debate. Clegg deserves it.

Buckingham needs a Voice, not a Speaker

With the election finally hotting up and even becoming a little exciting, there is one seat in the country that come May 7th has the potential to create an earthquake in British politics. Nigel Farage, the charismatic former leader of the UK Independence Party is on course to topple the Speaker of the House, John Bercow. Now without any hint of bias, Bercow has to go. He is a sly, pompous, obnoxious hypocrite who on being elected Speaker (only because Labour were sticking two fingers up to the Tories) claimed tens of thousands of pounds in taxpayers money to renivate his Speaker's Apartment at a time he was claiming to 'clean up the expenses scandal in politics'. He is quite frankly a joke and the good people of Buckingham deserve better.

Nigel Farage is without doubt the best possible candidate for MP for Buckingham and I implore anyone reading this to do their bit in getting Nigel elected. Once in Westminster, he will be able to fully uncover what absolute disgraces the MPs of the three, failed old parties all really are.

Lord Tebbit: Always a man to speak clarity in times of chaos

Lord Tebbit, one of the last bastions of conservatives with a small 'c' has come out today with a brilliant, stinging attack on Clegg. Although he endorses Cameron (not surprising seen as Tebbit is sadly still in the Tory party) he does make the excellent point that this Lib-Dem surge has been created soley out of Clegg's performance in the debates and not due to an overwhelming support of Liberal Democrat policies.

Does the 30-33% of the electorate actually know what policies they are about to vote for? Probably not, which makes this election all the more unpredictable especially when whoever wins must take into account the sheer economic deficit that faces us all. Would I want Clegg to be the man to sort it out? Good god no! But would I want Brown and Cameron either? Again, absolutely not. And I think that speaks for the majority of the British electorate, no-one can see a real viable and popular alternative in the three failed old parties.

Indeed when you look at the individual party positions in the polls, for each of the failed three some 70% are not planning to vote for them. Despite the fact the Lib-Dems are currently on 31% it still means 69% are against them.

Read Lord Tebbit's post, it's an insight and an enjoyable read.

Voting Labour has led to the danger of a BNP MP.

Rob Flello, the MP for Stoke-on-Trent South, has warned voters that there is a danger of the BNP winning in his constituency. He naturally, as a Labour MP, insists that the only way to beat the BNP is to vote Labour.

Sadly the rise of the BNP has come under a Labour government. It is Mr. Flello's colleagues in the Labour Party who have ignored working class concern on immigration and social breakdown and now unfortunately the BNP are preying on people's concerns and posing a real threat in Labour heartlands at this General Election. I myself will be down in Barking to help UKIP candidate Frank Maloney soon, where the BNP have been making a song and a dance about Nick Griffin standing.

I personally don't think that the BNP will elect a Member of Parliament on May 6th, but not because Labour have done anything to effectively the counter the threat. I believe simply that while some may get so wound up with things that they vote BNP, there are enough people who realise what they are all about to not vote for them.  No matter how disgusted most British people get, they would much rather sit at home than vote for a racist candidate.

For those who believe in tough but fair immigration controls but are not motivated by racism, as is the case with most decent British people, UKIP are there. Which begs the question, why would someone become a member of the BNP if it wasn't because they are racist?