Backstory:
(from 2010 to 2012)
The 2010 General Election marked the beginning of a new era in British Politics
List of British Prime Ministers:
Gordon Brown (Labour Majority): June 2007 - May 2010Gordon Brown (Labour-Lib Dem Coalition): May 2010 - October 2011
John McDonnell (Labour Minority): October 2011 - PresentThe 2010 General Election:
Conservative Party: 35.0% (287 MP's)
Labour Party: 29.7% (263 MP's)
Liberal Democrats: 25.6% (72MP's)
After years of struggles, Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems had done it.
While Cleggmania had faded in the last days of the campaign, the Lib Dems had climbed to a quarter of the vote and over seventy seats, giving them the numbers to either form a government with the Conservatives or with Labour, both of which had been weakened by the results. The coming days would prove dramatic as tales of offer and counteroffers flooded Westminster, rumours of a potential Tory-Lib Dem deal looking likely at some point. In the end, however, the prospect of Cameron in Downing Street was enough to press Gordon Brown (along with Mandelson) to make a more generous offer to Clegg.
Thus, the Labour-Lib Dem coalition government was born.
The resulting months proved exceedingly hard for the government and their small majority, Gordon Brown delaying the expected Labour leadership election in order to reform the internal process (in hopes of securing the succession for Ed Balls) as Brown and Clegg (made Home Secretary) fought over the economy, political reform and other controversial issues as Britain made a slow and painful recovery. The decisive moment came when Parliament finally approved an upcoming referendum on the voting system, STV and AV abandoned due to disagreements and a new proposal (which ironically satisfied neither Labour nor the Lib Dems) being crafted to seek regional party list PR.
May 2011 was the date for the referendum, and a campaign which Cameron and Brown expected to win easily soon turned into a disaster. Hampered by the unpopularity of both men (compared to a Clegg which remained reasonably popular), a poorly planned and divided No campaign and further scandals in Westminster the Yes side secured a very narrow majority at the referendum. A stunned Lib Dem HQ was forced to realize that British politics had been changed at last, that proportional representation had finally been reached after so long. The coming months proved even more dramatic.
The knives soon were out for Cameron, blamed by many in the party for blowing the 2010 campaign and the referendum campaign. With likely candidate Boris Johnson unable to stand, the following contest saw darkhorse (and compromise choice) Theresa May defeating George Osborne in the final round. Gordon Brown was finally forced to relinquish the throne, and in an upset that stunned the nation hard-leftist John McDonnell (who got into the contest only due to loaned signatures to "broaden the debate") rode a wave of anti-austerity populism and anger to win the leadership and, controversially, become Prime Minister on October 2011
With Nigel Farage and standing down (due to injuries on his air accident), almost all parties had new leaders. And Nick Clegg was of the mind that his moment had come. Refusing to work with McDonnell due to his extreme views the Lib Dems walked out of the cabinet and ended the coalition arrangement, turning Labour into a minority. A vote of no confidence soon followed in December, and the combined Conservative-Lib Dem votes forced the government into an early election by February 2012.
A proportional system now in place, how different would the next parliament be?
