Brown Cameron

Gordon Brown's desperate final stratagem to announce his resignation as Labour Leader to take effect in the Autumn has failed. What we don't know is why the Lib Dem/Labour talks failed. I suspect there are two reasons. Many on the Left loathe Liberal Democrats even more than they hate Conservatives. This, in part, is a consequence of the unsavoury election tactics Liberal Democrats adopt. It is also the case that the socialist/trade unionist elements within the Labour Party have no time for a party consisting mostly of relatively well-off middle-class people.

There is also within the Labour Party a deep seated antipathy to any electoral reform. The fear is that electoral reform would diminish the role of socialists within the Labour Party.

I have never subscribed to the mantra of a progressive majority. The phrase is meaningless.

So we await David Cameron. It is odd that whilst he has been called to the palace we don't know if he is to be leading a minority government, or has entered a coalition with the Lib Dems, or some other arrangement.

Strange times indeed.