[Maitland]

There is some talk that the SNP will be left out of a progressive alliance with two MP's stating just that.

If the Labour Party and the Liberals form an alliance without the SNP and Plaid the numbers work out as such.

Progressive Alliance = 329 seats (A majority)

The Rest (Conservative, SNP and Plaid) = 315 Seats

There is still one seat to declare and if that goes Tory we then have 316 seats. The 5 Sinn Fein seats are null and void and would have no impact on any alliance.

As you can see this would make an alliance with a majority of 18 seats without the SNP or Plaid Cymru and certainly has the possibilty of being stable but the main party here would be the Democratic Unionist Party, if the alliance can get them in line by making concessions then the SNP and Plaid could, and I think, would be left out of any alliance.

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[Maitland]

A comment from Douglas Alexander on top of the comment from Simon Hughes about the SNP exclusion from a progressive alliance.

http://news.bbc.co.u...hi/uk_politics/ ... 674214.stm

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[Maitland]

If we look at the other possibilty at the minute. The Conservative/Liberal Coalition.

As we know the Conservatives have no mandate in Scotland although some will argue that that is not the case given that it was a UK General Election and the UK voted as a whole.

What happens if the Liberals are given ministerial posts and form a formal coalition with the Conservatives but more importantly the Liberals are given the post of Scottish Secretary, does this give the coalition a mandate to govern Scotland now that the Liberals are involved, it certainly makes that argument.

Obviously the danger for the Liberals are their association with the Conservatives in Scotland but I personally think they can live with this if they get their feet under the governmental table.

For me the best outcome is a Conservative/Liberal loose coalition the worst outcome is a progressive alliance that excludes the SNP as I think that will be the end of the SNP and they will move back in the polls and back to the sidelines of UK and Scottish politics.

Talks between the Labour Party and the Liberal Party have just started and I will of course keep you all updated as the day goes on.

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[Maitland]

Personally I think we may be close to an announcement. The Labour Party are currently ripping themselves to pieces in public, with one Labour MP disagreeing with another Labour MP and now Lord Falconer advising the Labour Party to give it up.

I can see no way that the Labour Party and the Liberals will be able to come to an agreement. It is time for the Labour Party to step aside and reform. I believe that there will now be a lot of nasal gazing by the Labour party and a lot of internal strife and this will continue ahead of the 2011 Scottish elections.

We will have a Conservative/Liberal agreement soon where we will then have the Scottish Liberals shoeing and keeping in a Conservative party that was resoundly rejected in Scotland.

The SNP will have an utterly amazing opportunity here to move forward an Independence agenda with the mantra.

"Vote Labour, get a Conservative Government"

"Vote Liberal Democrat, get a Conservative Government"

I would not be surprised if there are many if not all SNP MSP's and MP's rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of a Conservative/Liberal pact and the fact that Scottish MP's have ruled the SNP out of an alliance.

The Labour party were adamant that it was important to keep out a Conservative government, voting for them didn't help but after the voting they were still so full of hatred for the SNP that they ruled them out to the extend that a stable coalition would have been practically impossible. Whether this coalition would ever had off got off the ground is neither here nor there, the fact that certain MP's ruled them out completely will have played into the SNP hands.

It will still be very difficult for the SNP from now until the 2011 elections. I have given my opinion that the SNP will lose that Scottish election in May 2011 but with the recent developments everything is in place for the SNP to move forward and possibly win this election with an increased majority, it really is for the SNP to lose now.

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[Maitland]

It has been announced that the Labour Party and Liberal negotiations have finished and have come to no conclusion.

The Conservatives and Liberals continue to talk and I suspect (Probably wrongly) that we will have an indication of the make up of the next UK government within a few hours.

I appreciate that I really should get a life and remove my anorak but I find the whole political sphere within the UK utterly fascinating and I apologise if I have hogged this thread or have bored you all within an inch of your life.

Oh yes and there is some suggestion that holdalls are now being loaded into government cars at the rear of whitehall (10 Downing Street). It could be the cleaner having a clear out but I will leave you to your own conjecture.

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[Maitland]

We are expecting an announcement within the hour that will give us some indication as to where the Conservatives and Liberals stand. I know that the respective leaders are meeting their MP's tonight so it may be that we are given an indication as to how the negotiations have went but no official announcement will be made until all the MP's from the Conservatives and Liberals have been consulted.

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[Maitland]

The latest word is that Gordon Brown is getting ready to resign. He will travel to the palace and tender his resignation to the English Queen, Queen Elizabeth II. The other word is that a deal is very very close and it will be a formal Conservative coalition with the Liberal Democrats with Liberal MP's given ministerial posts.

Once again suspect that we will have some announcement this evening.

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[Maitland]

We are now at 7pm. Liberal Democrat sources have stated that the Conservatives and the Liberals are moving towards full coalition.

The Parties are meeting their MP's at 7.30pm and 8.30pm. It may be that we have an official announcement around 9pm. I am quite sure that the Prime Minister will be informed of the outcome before the public and media so it will be interesting to see if he leaves for Buckingham Palace before that official announcement.

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[Maitland]

Gordon Brown has resigned. This means that David Cameron is the next Prime Minister. The official visit to the Queen will happen soon.

This means that a deal has been done between the Conservatives and Liberals.

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[Maitland]

The media have stated that there is yet no deal between the Conservatives and the Liberals. Gordon Brown has resigned because it became very clear that he will not be able to secure a majority in the House of Commons.

Personally I think that a deal has been done and the whole resignation etc has been choreographed. It would have been very impolite not to have informed the current or should I say last Prime Minister as to the current state of play.

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[Maitland]

The negotiations between the Conservatives and the Liberals have ended. Both sets of negotaitors will now meet their respective MP's to put the deal to them.

The Liberals have quite a complicated system called the triple lock but I am quite sure, given the PM's resignation, that all parties will agree and within the next few hours we will know the make up of the next UK Government.

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[Maitland]

David Cameron is currently on his way to Buckingham Palace to be offered the position of Prime Minister of the UK Government. What is unclear at the minute is whether he will be the Prime Minister of a Minority Conservative Government or a Conservative/Liberal Democrat Government.

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[Maitland]

Hopefully there will be some announcement soon from the Prime Minister David Cameron with regards to the make up of the new government.

There is one policy that has came out in the last few minutes and it is a policy that is to be applauded. That policy being that there will be no tax on the first £10,000 with regards to income. This will help thousnads of families in Scotland and throughout the UK. This was a specific Liberal Democrat policy and one I agreed with wholeheartedly.

I am still hoping that the Liberal Democrats have saught concessions on the basis of a loose agreement rather than a formal coalition but again we shall just have to wait and see.

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[Maitland]

The new Prime Minister has entered number 10 Downing Street after a short speech where he has stated that he intends to form a formal coalition with the Liberal Democrats. I assume there will therefore be a Conservative/Liberal Government. At the moment it is short on details but it will become clear relatively soon.

What does this mean for Scotland? Well the new government will say that it has a mandate in Scotland with 12 MP's. 11 Liberal Democrats and 1 Conservative. Personally I think they will be on reasonably safe ground given that they have a coalition agreement. What is certainly clear though is the fact that the people of Scotland have a Conservative Government after they were rejected North of the border and they will, I believe, hold the Liberal Democrats responsible for that.

It is now for the SNP to work out a strategy for the forthcoming Scottish elections to be held in May 2011. Once I have the details of the formal coalition details I will post them and then take my leave after over nine months and about 11 pages of this thread.

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[Maitland]

Well there is certainly a formal coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberals with the Liberals taking some ministerial positions. The rumour is that Nick Clegg (Leader of the Liberal Democrats) has been given the position of Deputy Prime Minister. One thing that has been confirmed is that George Osbourne is to be the Chancellor of the Exchequer. This comes as no surprise as I believe both him and the Prime Minister are Etonians and good friends, however I think they missed an opportunity here with Vince Cable sitting on the side lines.

Policy detail is scant at the minute but the Conservatives have put on the back burner the rise in inheritance tax and the Liberal Democrats got there no Income tax on the first £10,000.

Alex Salmond has been interviewd and gave a good account of himself but as I have said the election in May 2011 is for him and the SNP to lose.

I doubt very much that I will get any more information tonight.

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[Maitland]

This will be the make up of the new Conservative/Liberal Coalition Government.

http://news.bbc.co.u...010/8675705.stm

That is the 2010 General Election over. The next election is the Scottish Election of May 2011.

If the people of Scotland continue in the same vain as before and vote for Labour at the forthcoming Scottish election and the SNP lose then I will hang up my political apron and walk away from it all as there will be no hope. The Scots Indoctrination at the hands of the Union will be to deep and I would lose all hope of Independence.

Webbie this thread is finished.

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