More election thoughts

[andrewducker]

Because of the final result, and the fact that nobody is going to do a deal ith the Conservatives, whoever wants to form a government will need _everyone else_ to join them. You need 65 seats to reach a majority, which means either SNP + Lib Dem + Green or Labour + Lib Dem + Green + Margo MacDonald (ex-SNP, now only independent MSP).

The chances of Margo going with Labour are, one assumes, quite slim. The chances of her going with the SNP are presumably even slimmer, what with them having kicked her out. Luckily for them, they don't need her. They do need the Greens and the Lib Dems though, so one suspects there'll be an interesting series of discussions going on right now...

Comments

[guybles.livejournal.com]

It's an interesting thought that the Greens might be enthusiastic enough for power - any power - that they will take the SNP shilling. Since the Lid Dem-SNP coalition had been talked about for the last few weeks, including Alex Salmond starting to dilute the notion of indepdendence. However if the Green's become king-makers, as it were, what will they demand in return? Hence, if they get their wish, how can they enforce it?

I remember musing at the 1997 election that the Lib Dems rolled over for a possibility of power. It would be nice to think that it wouldn't happen again, except with a new partner.

(this is assuming, of course, that we don't have the outside possibility of the Electoral Commission pointing out that the whole thing is a farce and should be run again)

[drplokta]

They don't have to have a majority to form a government, so the SNP could form a minority administration and figure to be able to get enough votes from either Labour or the Lib Dems and Greens to get through any policy that seems vaguely sensible.