UK and the post-election uncertainty

Conservatives and Labour have failed to gain a significant difference between them so that the result is uncertain. By this time the Conservatives seem to precede little the Labour, and UKIP, Liberals and Greens follow.

The outgoing government of Conservatives and the Liberals seem to not be able to be the next government solution for Great Britain, as it is expected these two parties together not to raise the number of 326 seats.

Former Prime Minister, David Cameron, seeks victory focusing on the economy and security agenda. Ed Miliband seeks to be the best economic and social alternative choice. Former coalition partner, Nick Clegg, seeks to convince that the public vote in Lib Dems is a guarantee for the next government. Nick Farage represents the nationalist vote and Greens seem to depend on issues of immigration agenda.

Overall the electoral stakes appear to include economic policy, immigration and Europe. Each party has managed to formulate a clear, distinct position on each of these issues. However the political discourse of parties it could not be linked to the post-election plans for a government.

How to fix the inability to achieve a complete or sufficient majority to form a government? This is the question that each of the parties seeks to answer successfully. The answer to this question is the choice of government partners. The fall of the two-party system, even under a majority electoral system, seems to modulate difficulties in forming a government. Voters seem to be divided into many parties and this makes very difficult an easy post-election alliance.

Although Labour seemed that they could participate in a government formation with the SNP, this scenario has been rejected by Ed Miliband recently.

The criticism, that has been created against Labour, because of the perpetuation of this scenario, made the position of Miliband awkward. The SNP brings both the tension created in the fall due to the independence referendum in Scotland, and social dimensions too, incompatible with the conservatism of British political life. At what cost Miliband will place SNP in the central political scene? On the other the high popularity SNP has gained, place it to the debate on the next day government of Great Britain. But the main question remains and it has to do with the structure and actors of the next government.

It is not known or not sure the extent to which the vote will move in pursuit of a strong government. One consequence of party dealignment is the inability to form strong party government. Public opinion bears the fatigue of continuous, year voting. Unless this continuous voting coincide with the broad representation of society, offers no social benefit and eventually it is declining.

In a mood of criticism of leaders of the two largest parties, we could say that they are unable to provide the best leadership options for the parties they represent. This reason coupled with a tendency of an introverted acceptance of social development, describes the defeat of the parties in general. Citizens as rational beings seek for better political choice. Both the economic vote and the value-timeless topics determine the electoral behavior. The Great Britain over time characterized by the class voting, but this class issue is mitigated from 1970s and onwards. After 1970s the ideas were changing and the convergence achieved through economic prosperity. The class was not important anymore, not even for the survival of the parties, which through several difficulties were expressed as to attract economic voting of the British public.

However, it is obvious that the political life once again is at a standstill. The inability of large moderate parties to attract and retain the majority voting creates uncertainty and unfortunately a tendency toward extreme and controversial choices. The solution cannot be found somewhere other than political discourse.

Sometimes political leaders fail to adopt openness and tend to operate defensively seeking to safeguard what is left. However introversion is not the solution instead it makes the party not bright, unattractive, and especially for young people incompatible with the new society, which they make and where they live. This is not only seen in the Conservatives in Britain. It is a dimension that many center-right parties in Europe express at times. However, in response, the opposition, the rival party, exposes radicality. And this radicality Cameron has to face from the side of Miliband.

Things do not seem to be easy and just in Britain. Reaction and changing correlations in Scotland, the restrictive economic policy in the previous period and the intense anti-Europeanism, created reactions, which are now party options.

In Britain the minority government is always an option. However, the minority government can be neither sustainable nor effective nor lasting. The political landscape is changing and when the political landscape changes, the moderate political forces must incorporate as many social demands as they can, so they do not become radical and later on voters seek for them in extreme political choices.

Veni Mouzakiari
Veni Mouzakiari
Phd Candidate at the department of International and European Studies, University of Macedonia. Political consultant