Post election blues?

So here we are, election day + 4, and still no sign of a government. On Friday and much of the weekend it looked as if the likeliest outcome was some form of Lib/Con agreement, with the LibDems supporting a minority Tory administration. That , of course, was before we found out about the secret talks going on between labour and the libdems. And that was followed by Gordon Brown indicating his wish to resign to allow a labour leadership contest. (Did he jump or was he pushed? Was the dead hand of the prince of darkness, mandelson, behind it all?).

The Conservative press, this morning, were predictable in their rage and frustration at the lib dems (not quite as raging as Sky's Adam Boulton -of which more later...). Both the Express and the Mail poured scorn on the lib dems and tried to claim the moral high ground ( although how the Mail, given its history of campaigning for jews fleeing Hitlers Germany to be sent back, can claim any moral superiority is beyond me). It appears that the right (including most of the press and Murdochs empire) is angry that their script is not being followed - which is probably why Adam Boulton spat out his dummy and nearly came to blows with Alistair Campbell on sky news last night - ofcom has received a number of complaints!).

There seems to be two alternatives - a tory minority government supported by the libdems or soem sort of so-called 'rainbow coalition' of all the other parties. My view, for what its worth, is that the latter would be a disaster. Much as it surprises me to agree with former home secretary John Reid, it would be a coalition of the defeated. I dont see how it would last any length of time, would involve damaging concessions to the nationalists, and I think the electorate would punish all involved by giving the tories a working, if not a huge, majority. Of course, if this is the way we go, AND the voting system changes as Brown has proposed (to AV), that would pretty much scupper any future tory government, given the apparent centre left majority in the electorate.

My feeling is that this was a good election to lose. Labour and the libdems would be well advised to let the tories rule as a minority, regroup (and elect a new leader in the case of Labour) and get ready to fight another election in 6-12 months after the tories have implemented their over zealous debt reduction plan and given us a double dip recession.

On a personal note I feel more optimistic than I did leading up to the election. A tory goverment with any sort of working majority would have been free to make their savage cuts to public services. At least with this result actions will be as needed and with a degree of consensus.