Not exact matches
I don't put much store
in opinion polls, but if true it would only indicate roughly what you would expect to happen at this point
in the
parliament - 32 % isn't that much lower than Labour got
in the 2005 General Election and all it would suggest is that the Liberal Democrats are having a reversal - tactical voting could see them holding onto many of their current
seats, indeed it is even possible that if they got 17 % of the vote that if it focused
in an area that they could actually end up with more
seats, where the switches
in support are occuring is crucial - if they are focused then if the Conservative Party were to get 39 % then it might still result
in them getting
fewer seats than Labour or
in extremis winning a 150
seat majority or so?
I have no doubt that the Conservative Party will make major gains
in votes and
seats in the next 10 years that will build to their return to power ultimately, but they are a long way off actually winning a majority and it has to be said that a Hung
Parliament now looks more improbable than at any time since 2001, demographic factors are working against the Conservative Party as well - Labour
seats mostly are held with far lower turnouts which is partly why Labour can get
fewer votes than the Conservatives and end up with an overall majority and far more
seats than the Conservative Party.
But,
in his first comments on what he might do if Thursday's election is inconclusive, Mr Cameron challenged the Whitehall convention that says that, if Britain votes for a hung
parliament, the existing Prime Minister gets the first chance to form a government, even if his party has
fewer seats or votes than its main rival.
This caused renewed internal strife, leading to the resignation of former Synaspismós president Alekos Alavanos from his
seat in the Greek
parliament, a resignation that was, however, withdrawn a
few days later.