Obligatory election post

So, we’ve got a Labour government again – Tony Blair has a third term as Prime Minister (a first for a Labour PM). But their majority is hugely cut from over 160 to less than 70. This is, I suppose, pretty much the best we could hope for. Blair’s majority has been cut to the point he’ll have trouble passing contentious legislation; if he had trouble with ID cards with a 160 majority, he’ll not find it any easier with a 70 majority! I was rather sad that the LibDems only made a 11 seat gain (current prediction). Better for everyone if they had done even better, although 11 seats is nothing to be sneezed at when it represents an increase of about 20%. And, one again, this election shows the problem with our first-past-the-post system – Labour polled 37% of the vote, the Conservatives 33% and the LibDems 23%, but their numbers of seats are 353,194 and 59 as I write.

Locally, my MP is still Andrew Lansley, increasing his vote by 0.8% (!) – watch this space for more on immigration after his recent letter! Labour slipped by nearly 5%, and everyone else benefitted (especially the LibDems, up 2.9%, now very clearly the second-place party in front of Labour). In Cambridge city, Anne Campbell (Lab) lost her seat to the LibDems on a 15% swing.