And most intelligent post of this whole debate goes to this belter.

Just seen this tweet by Paul McGann... "Can a country have Stockholm Syndrome?"

He makes a fine point. Gutted that we're still stuck with the Tories.

That the voting system of the US isnt the one who is fucked up is the people who are(exibit A voters of the UK).

"Better Together"

Miliband and Balls were very much in the higher echelons of the Labour government that right or wrongly are blamed for overspending before the recession kicked in.  Miliband said in front of a live BBC audience that he had no regrets, which I think was suicidal.  They basically had no economic credibility to fall back on, as well as Ed's poor polling due to his awkward, nerdy character.  He improved a bit throughout the campaign, but started from such a low base it wasn't enough.  It's almost unthinkable that Labour got defeated by a majority after 5 years of austerity, he was an awful choice and basically voted in by the Trade Unions, which always felt a bit awkward when trying to appeal to all people.

The Tories did an effective job of spinning the economic recovery in their favour, and Labour didn't have the tools to fight that impression.  The promise of a referendum on EU membership also helped differentiate them from Labour.  The prospect of a Lsbour government being propped up by Scottish Nationalists also would have hardened the Tory vote in England.  The most shocking thing for me was the collapse of the Lib Dems, many of whom went to the Tories despite them being coalition partners. I'm really don't understand that.

I genuinely think a lot of moderate people engage with David Cameron too.  I believe he genuinely cares for the NHS due to his personal history, and he is much more effective in general compared to Miliband.  He's pulled one out the bag here because I don't think anyone at all saw this coming.

Just curious because I'm pretty ignorant about the UK's political affairs. I know the Blair left the Labour party in shambles and the Tories took over after Blair's successor left. Seems like the Tories won because people were so disillusioned and felt betrayed by the Labour party, not really because they were the better option. Can't tell if its just the people I'm around or the media in general but it seems like nobody is really happy with how things are going with the Tories in control.

Democracy is in a real interesting political climate right now with regards to the US and the UK. People are voicing their criticisms of their government but the same con-men/women get elected. What gives?

Again, it's a mixture of the recession (not all their fault obviously, but I think they needed a clean break from those who were in charge at the time) happening on Labour's watch and leaders who the public basically don't like in Gordon Brown, then Ed Miliband.  The media have been pukingly right wing.  IMO it's been a decent day for democracy even if you disagree with the result, there's been a change of widespread opinion, a clear result and there has been a smooth change of government (albeit only coalition to Tory)with three leaders stepping down with dignity.  It's what democracy should be all about.

That is even more depressing that the Tory win in some ways.

• The Conservatives have won a slender majority with only 37% of the national vote, from a turnout of around 66%. That's what, less than a quarter of eligible voters?
• Labour increased their share of the national vote by 1.4%, to 30.4%, and lost 25 seats.
• Between them, UKIP and the Green party amassed around 5m (or 16%) votes and won a combined total of two seats.

I can't speak for the US, but the ludicrous electoral system in the UK has had a huge influence on the outcome of this election.

I suppose I should form a Live4Ever government as well. These seats are based on a PR system of voting obviously and cannot be entirely accurate.

I've adjusted the fractions of seats so that the larger parties get more representation which would be more likely in real life.

 Speaker                1

We'll have to make some deals in order to form a government.

I think you're right. What I'm hearing is that they want somebody who is similar to Blair, which would absolutely suggest David Miliband. It's a shame because I actually prefer Ed's politics but it seems as though the public wants a Labour party that is more towards the centre ground.