2010: A year in politics

CHANGING times in politics and 2010 has been a very busy and chaotic year.  Demonstrations, recriminations, ramifications, blunders – it has had as much drama as a typical episode of Holby City.  A new coalition government, a new era or the same old story for some, this year has been the most dramatic in politics for some time.

DOOMED: Darling's budget bought grim news

It all began in January when Geoffrey Hoon and Patricia Hewitt tried to start a rebellion to usurp Gordon Brown from his position as leader of the Labour party.  This failed miserably, but it summed up the frustrations of some within the Labour government.  They were convinced that they were going to lose the General Election.  The bad press continued as three Labour MP’s were charged over their use of expenses from the devastating political scandal that ripped through the system in 2009.  Alistair Darling’s final budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer in March bought the predictable grim news that we were all fearing.  However, these fears would be briefly replaced by a sense of election fever.

TWIST: The leadership debates bought more intrigue

Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg went onto the campaign trail across the country.  Power swayed between the three political parties, which included live televised leadership debates.  Held on ITV, Sky and BBC for three consecutive Thursdays in April, the debates sparked a new form of interest to many, especially as these were held in primetime form.  Brown’s chances of staying in Downing Street took a significant blow, when he had a fateful meeting on immigration with long-time Labour supporter Gillian Duffy in Rochdale.  “That was a disaster, everything; she’s some sort of bigoted woman that said she used to be Labour. I mean it’s just ridiculous.”

FISTCUFFS: Adam Boulton vs Alistair Campbell live on Sky

Whilst UKIP leader Nigel Farage was lucky to escape with his life, after a plane crash in a final bid for campaigning votes on Election Day, the election went through with minimal fuss.  The country spoke and a ‘hung parliament’ was the outcome.  The Conservatives won the most amounts of seats, but not the magical number needed for a majority.  Coalition negotiations began between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, whilst Brown sat and waited in No.10, hoping for a miracle to survive.  To keep the election headlines going, Sky News political editor Adam Boulton and ex-Labour spin doctor Alistair Campbell had a near punch-up live on Sky’s Live at Five. 

On May 10, Brown announced he was stepping down as leader of the Labour party.  24 hours later, he decided to quit Downing Street.  As he walked away with wife Sarah and their two children, Brown’s final graceful words were; “As I leave the second most important job I hold, I cherish more the first I have, as a husband and father.  Thank you and goodbye.”

A few hours later, David Cameron rolled into Downing Street with wife Samantha to take the role as Prime Minister.  Nick Clegg took the Deputy Leader role and speculation began on his appointment; would it seem like a bad romance or a match made in heaven. . .

JOY: David Cameron cradles his new bundle of joy

Later that month, David Laws resigned from the new cabinet after claiming expenses to pay rent for his partner.  George Osbourne, the new chancellor delivered an emergency budget in June, stating; “This helps deal the country with its growing massive debts.”  “It pays for the past and plans for the future.”

The summer went past a little quieter, but for the Prime Minister, it bought a mixture of celebration and tragedy.  His father passed away after illness, but David Cameron’s wife Samantha gave birth to a beautiful baby girl whilst on a family holiday.  Florence Rose Endellion Cameron was born into the world at the Royal Cornwall Hospital. 

COMPETITION: Ed beat David to Labour leadership power

In September, Ed Miliband beat stiff competition from Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, Diane Abbott and crucially, his brother David, to leadership of the Labour party at its annual conference in Manchester.  Ed got the nod, as he was backed significantly by the trade unions.  Four days later, David Miliband elected to quit frontline politics to spend more time with his family... 

As the clocks changed, times changed for the coalition government too.  With Ireland in trouble financially, George Osbourne agreed to lend them a massive bailout.  The figure of £7billion was stupid, to help ‘a friend in need.’  Ugly demonstrations soon followed, when MP’s recently decided to increase University tuition fees.  Scenes in London not seen for twenty years horrified many, but bought the popularity of the government significantly down.

2010 has had a load of interesting political stories, far more happened than in the ‘boring’ old days of the 90’s.  Will 2011 bring even more?  What can be said is that 2010’s year in politics will never be forgotten.

Democrats Set For Damming Mid-Term Losses

BY SIMON WRIGHT & TAMIKA SHORT

BARACK Obama and his Democratic party face massive losses in America today, as millions of Americans vote in the mid-term elections.  What will the affects be from these results?  Simon Wright and Tamika Short investigate.

The final opinion polls indicate that the Republican Party is likely to gain control of the House of Representatives, whilst the Democrats majority in the Senate will be severely cut.  As America struggles to recover from the great recession, energy and enthusiasm seems to be edging onto the right-hand support, unlike in 2008.  Sky News political editor Adam Boulton commented on his blog the general feelings of the nation; “The mood for change is strong and Obama is no longer the change candidate.”

Up for grabs are all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 37 seats in the Senate.  Should the Republicans gain a majority, then Obama’s power within congress will sharply decrease, which means his controversial measures on healthcare reform and financial bailouts will struggle to be passed.  However, American Studies expert at the University of Northampton, David Waller doesn’t think it will affect Obama’s worldwide position too much; “Obama still has some cards up his sleeve, as this is a domestic situation, not an international scenario.  It won’t affect any of his foreign policies.”

The Democrats took control of both houses in the 2006 mid-term elections.  The US president has been campaigning across the weekend on many nationwide radio stations.  Former president Bill Clinton and Obama’s wife Michelle have also been making desperate final pleas to undecided voters.  Currently, nationwide polls suggest the 55% of American people will vote Republic, compared to 40% Democratic, with 5% undecided.  Should these polls be accurate enough, it will be the worst mid-term election losses in more than 60 years. 

It is not the first time that a current president has suffered in these polls.  In 1994, Bill Clinton saw the Democrats lose 52 seats, yet the Republicans failed to usurp him from power in 1996.  Republican Ronald Reagan also had a bad mid-term loss in the 1980’s, yet held on for two terms.  Consequently, these results aren’t likely to have a terminal blow for Obama’s chances in regards to a second term in office.

Barack Obama – Eight facts about the US president

-          Born in Hawaii on August 4 1961.

-          Studied a law degree at Harvard University.

-          Worked as a civil rights lawyer in Chicago.

-          Obama was elected to the US senate in 2004.

-          He taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992-2004.

-          He is a devoted Christian and is the first ever African-American president.

-          He follows American football closely, a fan of the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL.

-          Barack Obama was the surprise winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.

Political Power

BARACK Obama defeated Republican candidate John McCain to become the first black president of the United States.  He was sworn into power in January 2009.  During his first year in office, he has battled to reform healthcare in the United States, amid strong criticism.  He has also been trying to achieve new agreements on nuclear disarmament and climate change, though with little breakthrough so far.  He has been criticised for his slow responsive actions towards the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill.  Obama’s tactics for deploying an additional 30,000 troops on the war in Afghanistan and support for building a Muslim memorial on the site of the World Trade Centre have also come under-fire.  However, it is the economic recovery that will probably play the major dynamic of Obama’s political power.

David Miliband Quits Frontline Politics

Yesterday, David Miliband confirmed that he was stepping down from frontline politics, so he could spend more time with his family.  The MP for South Shields told Sky News’s political editor Adam Boulton of his decision at his home in an exclusive interview with the broadcaster.  Saturday’s shock defeat to his brother Ed Miliband in the Labour leadership battle has made him question and think long and hard about his political future, especially after he was the favourite for the role for months.

In the interview with Boulton, David admits the decision was not easy, but it is the right one, both for him, his brother and the future of the Labour party.

"I will serve to my utmost," "But staying in the shadow cabinet would be a route to real difficulty.  "Instead of focusing on winning in 2015 and beyond, the team would be subject to permanent scrutiny of body language - everything from sneezes to comments.  "Ed needs open field to lead as he sees fit. I will be a loyal supporter from the backbenches.  "It is the cleanest and clearest decision to take, though not the easiest."

On the reaction to the news, Ed Miliband was clearly disappointed, but had nothing but praise for David’s commitment and integrity towards the new Labour generation.

"I spoke to David earlier, and while it would have been fantastic to have him serving in my shadow cabinet, he has made a thoughtful and gracious decision.  "It is thoughtful for the family and gracious in terms of the future of the party."  "He is a massive talent for our party, and indeed for our country, I'm not going to hide that fact."  "We would have been a stronger team with him in it.  "But I think that he is right to have made the decision that he has, it is the right decision for him.

If Ed Miliband is going to do the job he is assigned to do, which is to get Labour back into Downing Street in five years time, he already knows how hard the job is going to be and without his brother, who was one of the strongest people in the doomed Gordon Brown regime, it has only got tougher.  He now has to show his commitment to the party on his own and take on the coalition government with all the passion he has available to him.

Cameron Gets The Keys, As Brown Makes A Dignified Exit

Just when you thought Monday's events couldn't be toppled, the political world was shaken once again, as after five days of bickering, negotiation and stalling, events unravelled last night, which now see the end of Labour rule.  After thirteen years in power, and three in No.10, Gordon Brown made a dignified exit from Downing Street and British politics.


Flanked by his family, he gave a graceful speech to the media, before heading off to Buckingham Palace, to tender his resignation to the Queen.  Around an hour later, the Queen accepted the request of David Cameron to form a coalition government, between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.  At last for many, Cameron has the keys to the most prestigious house in the UK.  As part of the deal, Nick Clegg is set to become the new Deputy Prime Minister, whilst Harriet Harman will step into Brown's shoes, as the Acting Labour Leader, until autumn's party conference.


No more words can describe the monumental shift in political power yesterday, so here are a few YouTube videos to sum things up.  The first is of a massive argument between Sky News Adam Boulton and Alistair Campbell, which nearly saw them come to blows live on TV.

The second is Gordon Brown's resignation speech outside Downing Street.

The last is David Cameron's inauguration speech as Prime Minister.

2010 General Election Results - Hung Parliament Is The Outcome, What Happens Now?

   

So, the country (or most of it) has had its say and it is quite clear from the results that Britain wants change.  Although he failed to get the magic number of 326 seats in the House of Commons, the Conservative Party and David Cameron have the most seats and this lunchtime, Cameron is the favourite to form a government in the coming days.

With 294 seats so far, the Tories did very well last night, though not the landslide that everyone predicted at the start of the year.  Labour finished a confident 2^nd, but lost at least 80 MP’s last night, and looks set to relinquish power in the country, after thirteen turbulent years of British politics.  The main Labour men, including Deputy Leader Harriet Harman and Peter Mandelson, had hoped that Gordon Brown would be able to strike a deal with the Liberal Democrats, to form a strong government.  Those final hopes were dashed at 10.45am, when Nick Clegg returned to the Liberal Democrats headquarters and confirmed, he thinks the Conservative Party should have first choice in being able to form the government.  Clegg has firmly put the ball in Cameron’s court now, with the condition to change the electoral reform system, which has plagued Britain in this election.

For the Liberal Democrats, it was a very disappointing outcome.  Nick Clegg had hope for nearly a hundred seats in the new House of Commons.  Instead, they dropped at least ten seats short of what they did in 2005.  After all the promise from the three hotly-contested TV debates, their potential turned as flat as a giant pancake.  This morning, he admitted the disappointment, but is still confident of positive change for the future. 

Despite not gaining the majority he was looking for, David Cameron seemed fairly satisfied with the result.  At 2.30pm today, he will release a statement to the media, with his plans of how to form a government.  The keys to No.10 are getting ever closer, and if he can work together with Clegg, by making some minor changes to his manifesto, for the best of the country, this ‘Hung Parliament’ combination might not be so bad.  However, with no overall winner, the chances of a five-year term look increasingly unlikely.

Gordon Brown has returned to Downing Street and as things stand, he is still Prime Minister.  However, he has released a statement suggested “he is open for discussion for civil parties to form a government, for the good of the country.”  Most people in Westminster seem to think that Brown has to step down today for the best of the UK.  I would agree with these suggestions, I struggle to see how Gordon can survive now, because although Labour figureheads will deny it, it was a bad night last night.  Although they prevented a landslide that hit the Tories in 1997, they lost a lot of seats, especially in the East Anglia region, with the Tories snatching Ipswich, Colchester, Northampton and Milton Keynes from long-standing Labour leaders.  I’m afraid Brown’s time is up, and the sooner he calls the removal van from Downing Street, the better for the country’s stability and its future.

The Green Party won a historic seat in Brighton, their first ever in the House of Commons and other significant figures that lost seats last night include former Education Secretary Charles Clarke, beaten in Norwich by the Liberal Democrats and the ex-Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, overcome by the Conservatives in Redditch, after thirteen successful years.  Ed Balls held onto his seat, denying the media a ‘Michael Portillo 1997’ moment.  He then went onto accuse Sky News of patriotism bias throughout the election campaign, much to the chagrin of its political Journalist, Adam Boulton, who looked flabbergasted by Ed’s outburst.

It means that we have our first Hung Parliament since 1974, and it is probably not what Britain needed, especially as we are still dealing with the fall-out from the crippling worldwide recession.  The question is now, can we cope with this scenario.  If the parties bang their head together, we might be able to limit the damage.  What I can say for sure, is that the future is very unpredictable for the country, anything is possible….anything.

The Sky News Leaders Debate - Back In The Balance

Last night, the race tightened and got even more interesting in the battle to become the UK’s next Prime Minister.  The second of the hotly anticipated televised leadership debates in Bristol, fronted by Sky News and its highly-respected political journalist Adam Boulton showed no clear cut winner, and put everything firmly back in the balance.

Following his overwhelming success with many in the ITV debate the previous Thursday, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has been on a crest wave, even attracting a popular Facebook group, with similar implications to the Rage against the Machine campaign to Christmas No.1 last year.  Was this the night when Clegg’s bubble was going to burst?  Well, it seems like the Liberal Democrats are happy with his performance, though I must admit; I thought he was the weakest out of the three leaders.  By being in the middle of the stage, the pressure was firmly fixated on him and he lacked conviction when coming across with his answers.  The most damming response was when Boulton asked him a simple question about his appearance on yesterday’s Daily Telegraph, in regard to donor money being paid into his personal bank account.  It was an awkward response; “Yes, it is absolute nonsense, but moving away from that.”  It certainly looked like he had something to hide.

David Cameron, the Conservative leader was expected to get the most out of these debates, and last week, he struggled to make an impact.  Last night, he was back to his usual self, and didn’t hold back, like he had seven days earlier.  Cameron looked far more confident and fluent and wasn’t afraid in going on the attack.  His annoyance with Clegg’s stance on MP expenses was impressive and he really was made irate by Labour’s Gordon Brown, urging him to withdraw some posters, slamming the Tories policies for the elderly, such as the removal of free bus passes, eye tests and prescriptions.  Though Cameron admitted live that all of those policies will stay, he clearly was very angry with the leaflet campaign, using the word ‘lies’ against the Labour party.  This was a very strong word to use and I did feel that was unnecessary.  On the closing speeches, he attacked Labour again, saying that Brown’s closing speech to the debate “sounded desperate, in a bid to frighten people.” 

The 90-minute debate, based initially on International Affairs, then on other questions for the audience, was bound to be a grilling for Gordon Brown.  Nevertheless, he can be fairly satisfied with the performance he gave.  He seemed far more punchy and convincing than in the inaugural debate, and not as mundane or pedestrian.  The very commanding approach paid off in some areas, and he was not frightened to go on the attack, slamming Clegg’s ‘anti-American policies’ and the ‘nuclear weapons ignoring’ policy, a real danger with Iran and North Korea still a major threat in the nuclear society.  He told Clegg to “get real, get real,” with that, showing he wasn’t frightened to dish it out, as well as take it.  He highlighted the Tories manifesto to not have the free eye test/prescription, which was very brave, but maybe not give the result he was looking for on that area, following Cameron’s insult back.  However, if Gordon wants to win the commanding votes, he needs to get out there and promote his face further.  Some Labour insiders think the campaign is lacklustre at the moment, and needs a big lift, so he still has the most work to do, in efforts to convince the voters. 

Adam Boulton did an outstanding job last night in chairing the debate, unlike Alistair Stewart who lost control of the debate and probably the occasion, the previous Thursday.  He allowed the debate to flow and as a result, it was a far better watch.  According to ITN’s poll results straight afterwards, Clegg won the debate, with 33%, far lesser than last week’s margin, yet still a victory.  Both Cameron and Brown were tied on 30%.  This seemed to be more of a common debate at Prime Minister’s Questions; the nerves weren’t as bad from anyone from the previous week.

With less than two weeks to go until we go to the polls, it couldn’t be any closer to call.  Nick Clegg was less fresh last night and was missing the bold attitude that came across during the first debate.  David Cameron can reflect on a much more polished performance, but is still looking for a major breakthrough if he wants a majority government.  Gordon Brown did far better than expected last night, and can take a lot of satisfaction from this.  I would give Cameron the edge in round two of the debates, but it is still too close to call and the BBC’s debate next week now has much more significance.  The General Election 2010 is firmly back in the balance.