So here's what's happened in the last week or two. Tories announce an unpopular budget; Tories embroiled in funding and influence scandal; Tories try to distract public by picking fight with union that isn't even on strike; incompetent cabinet office minister fuels panic buying with some ill chosen (or was it?) advice. Labour surge in the polls, despite rather than because of their leader; lib-dems remain dead men walking. Labour retain Bradford West with increased majority as a protest against the government.
The last bit didn't happen - instead George Galloway pulls off his election magic in another constituency with a big muslim population.
This was a surprise - not just to me, but to the media too. The World Tonight last
night had very little (or even nothing?) about this item - devoting
more time to the untimely passing of the banjo legend Earl Scruggs than
the recently closed polls.
Galloway is a divisive figure - even in my own head. I agree with a lot of what he says, and he can say it very well. His powers of oratory are well known - but he is also comes across as a publicity seeking, self serving egotist. That doesn't make him wrong, just difficult to believe sometimes.
So what does this mean for the bigger political picture in the UK? Probably not much. The Tories and Lib-dems have too much invested in the coalition to break it, as the outcome of any resulting general election would be too uncertain to call. If (big if) it were to happen, Labour would have to have changed their leader (perhaps find another Milliband from somewhere) to win a workable majority.
So it's probably a case of big news in Westminster, but we'll be stuck with the current lot until 2015.
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