I’m not sure why this election didn’t inspire me to blog in the way that I did for the US presidential election. It should have, what with it being for my own country and all, but I just didn’t see any reason to break out the custom election day theme, and live-blog it all. Anyway, I thought I’d better salvage this blog’s reputation as a political blog, and write something about the “con dem nation” (entirely plagiarised from Twitter) that we seem to have pieced together.

First off, isn’t it a bit odd to see at least one member of the European Movement as a Secretary of State in a Tory dominated cabinet? Perhaps I’m just putting too much emphasis on the European side of things. Anyway, my initial reaction to the BBC News footage of Cameron was, “could’ve been worse”, followed by noting that he’d opted for a plain microphone with no lectern (call me cynical, but was this his first theatrical step as PM?).

Policy-wise though, all I can say is that this government will be bad for Britain, and bad for Europe. Like the Irish Green’s coalition with Fianna Fáil, I think the Lib Dems will end up tarnished by their senior partner, hurting their chances in future elections, and thus removing any chance for them to show that, contrary to all evidence, they have some back-bone. The proposals for a referendum on AV are pointless; AV is pointless as an alternative, because it doesn’t do what an alternative electoral system needs to do, which is make Parliament more representative of the citizens. So, well done to the Liberals for capitulating on the one thing I wanted Liberals in government to do.

More in my sphere of concern is the impact of the new government on Britain’s place in Europe, and the effect that a Eurosceptic government in one of the big states will have. The Conservative’s insistance on calling for powers to be repatriated in some areas, and trying to put a brake on other areas will probably not hurt the EU too much. It’s a big thing, and it can comfortably withstand an uncooperative government or two. It will however hurt Britain. Enough Europeans (by which I mean people involved in Euro-politics) already complain about our intransigence, and that ill will towards the UK will probably only increase. It’ll be interesting, though perhaps uncomfortable, to watch how this affects the real world.

If you’ve been following British politics at all recently, then you’ll have seen the stories of bullying in Number 10. Obviously bullying is totally wrong and shouldn’t be tolerated in any circumstance (blah, blah, blah, standard ‘I’m not a right-wing reactionary disclaimer), but this whole story has strong whiffs of orchestration to it.

The latest incarnation is perfectly timed to counter Labour’s nicked campaign slogan (we were fair first!). People will apportion far more of their attention to a bit of scandal than to a plain vanilla campaign launch. The timing is being followed up by the story being divided into tasty, bite-size portions, ready for thorough digestion by the media (new and old alike).

Anyway, it’s just speculation with no solid evidence, but is this the first shot in a negative campaign running up ’til the election? Isn’t politics nice.

As a good leftie I was quite shocked to read about Barnet Council’s Ryanair-style of efficiency in the Guardian today. I’m sure I needn’t point out the fact that charging extra for premium services will do nothing for equality, which has been identified as one of the keys to a nice happy society. What struck me after reading a bit further was that the council’s leaders don’t seem to understand what the council is there for. Sure, don’t waste money in running the council, but remember that this isn’t the US; here we look after people if they fall on—or are born into—hard times. There shouldn’t be any need for private initiatives to step in and provide essential services.

Maybe people will wake up to the fact that just because Cameron sometimes rides a bike, holidays in Cornwall and presents a softer public image, it doesn’t mean the Tories are any less harsh at heart.

Tip: always remember that the whole chamber is covered by the cameras.

I heard on Radio 4 that the Tories are criticising Mandelson’s appointment to the cabinet on the grounds that he isn’t an MP. Somehow, they suggest, his position in the Lords will make him and his department less accountable. Obviously, there are issues with an un-elected chamber, but he’ll still be accountable to Conservative peers. Their timing shows that their target is Mandelson, not the concept of peers in cabinet, which has been going on for a long time.