Malcolm Tucker's "rising tide of yellow piss"

The yellow surge could soak us all | Malcolm Tucker | Comment is free | The Guardian

"I know there's a view that Clegg winning is OK for us. And I was fine with Peter running Spin Alley. You need control. You can't just have a bunch of cabinet ministers bouncing around the room like bollocks in a tumble drier. And journalists like Peter. People feel they know where they are with a sociopath. But the thing about promoting the Yellow Surge is that although a tidal wave of piss obviously sounds very attractive, everyone can get soaked. It's all a great laugh when the Tories are seeing their cocks cut off into their pints of cider in the West Country. Not so funny when we get kicked in the bollocks in the Ribble."

But of course Peter's done his polling analysis and his futurology. That's why he's relaxed, perhaps not intensely, about the Lib Dem "surge". It looks like the Tories lose say 2 for 1 Labour on % points if the Lib Dems rise, and possible even more in seats. Makes it ever harder for the Tories to even be the biggest party, never mind win a majority.

And curiously, if the Clegg rise was sustained - of which there is no guarantee - Labour could end up with a smaller share of the vote of all 3 but the largest share of seats. Then we'd be not just in AV-referendum territory, but the LibDems would want to push for further more proportional PR. That's going to be an interesting game of brinkpersonship. And the outcome of the following election if held on a new voting system - whether some form of AV or STV - which may be comparatively soon, will be even more interesting.

Even if the LibDems cool down again, it is a strong possibility, even probability, that this election will deliver a decisive hung parliament which then implements electoral reform, which ultimately could keep the Tories out of power more or less permanently. No bad thing in itself. Would this be the end of New labour too? and would it have been a success in its own terms?

Interesting times.