April 23rd 2010: The second TV General Election Debate
With the faces of the 3 main party leaders projected on the Arnolfini, police divers searching for possible bombs in the Avon River, halted traffic and The Apprentice-style filming of shiny/stylish/stunning Bristol, the election buzz was impossible to miss. Cameron, Clegg and Brown? It was anyone’s game.

May 6th 2010: Election Day
The results displayed the city of Bristol surrounded by blue, with exceptions being the Bristol West constituency who resoundingly voted again for Liberal Democrat representation and both Bristol East and Bristol South who voted to remain Labour. The neighbouring constituencies were all voted Conservative, notably with fresh wins in Bristol North West and Kingswood. Britain as a whole voted Conservative 36.1%, Labour 29%, Liberal Democrats 23% and Other 11.9%.

May 7th until May 10th 2010: Uncertainty
Constant speculation and chat as no party had a majority. Who should govern?

May 11th 2010: Decision Time
David Cameron and Nick Clegg were apparently surprised by how much they liked each other when they entered talks on a coalition government. Ultimately they agreed to become long-time ‘chums’ as Cameron took the post of Prime Minister and Clegg as his deputy. And so as the right and the left join forces, the UK wonders whether a coalition government will make a fair leadership, or will nothing get done as legislation gets watered down and debating takes too long because the two sides continuously squabble over conflicting ideals?

In the 19th century, the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives were the two warring parties, Labour didn’t exist until 1900. Formed officially in 1859, with their foundations in social democracy and liberalism, many of the Liberal Democrat supporters were middle class radical thinkers. The 19th century viewed the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives, who formed in the 1600s as polar opposites, with the idea of a coalition between the two parties completely hideous to all. The differences between William Gladstone’s Liberals and Benjamin Disraeli’s Conservatives were fierce, as was the personal animosity between the two men. Now, 130 years later, Clegg has moved in next to Cameron.

Is it possible that the Liberals and the Conservatives can merge their values to become both modern and traditionalist? Can they impose ‘change’? When Tony Blair became Prime Minister he was a young, enthusiastic man, like Cameron, boasting fairness and educational prosperity. Ultimately he became presidential and grandstanding with terror laws and wars whilst his cabinet fell apart. It feels that hope is the wrong word for Cameron and Clegg. They have a lot to do to repair and build Britain; there is a holding of breath as the nation waits for the next chapter.

When Gordon Brown left number 10, he instantly appeared more radiant and satisfying and Mr Cameron moved in to the famous Tardis, as Blair called it, shortly after. Cameron’s “smug” look (so reported on in the media) during his campaign has overnight been usurped by pictures of a furrowed and freshly burdened brow, the pressure of Britain’s financial, health, social and education problems placed immediately upon our new PM. The youngest Prime Minister since 1812, Cameron has pushed his obsession with ‘change’ but his privileged background has been continuously highlighted as a negative factor and contradictory to his modern Tory proclamations. Hadn’t he just romped about being rich before all this Conservative leadership business – Eton, Oxford, links to Royalty? – standard. A ruddy great chap… probably. And although he appears reasonably open (compared to Brown, certainly), Cameron is actually quite mysterious - talking about his family and telling jokes does not necessarily mean honesty.

Who is the real David Cameron? In June 1988 it is reported that Conservative Central Office received a telephone call from Buckingham Palace on the morning of his interview. The unnamed male said: “I understand you are to see David Cameron. I’ve tried everything I can to dissuade him from wasting his time on politics but I have failed. I am ringing to tell you that you are about to meet a truly remarkable young man.”

May 12th 2010: The Future
Has Britain elected someone ‘remarkable’? I’ll guess we’ll have to wait and see. You would hope that although the Lib Dems only make up a small part of the cabinet in this coalition government, their presence alone will serve to round off the sharper, more right wing edges of the Conservatives and mean that new legislation and big decisions will be discussed more thoroughly with a wider range of voices and opinions being heard before being made into law.

As Dave and Nick lead Britain, they are up against an already negative public. It would be fantastic if they proved a great partnership, but politics is a dirty world and trust is difficult to attain from a wounded and wary population.

The only thing that’s for certain after all this is that the country is much more engaged with its government and understands the election process better, largely thanks to the prime-time TV debates and the interviews with the leaders and other election coverage that was aimed at younger voters. It’s cool to be informed now, and saying you don’t care or aren’t going to vote as your way of protest doesn’t cut the mustard any more, and that can only be a good thing.

Helen Martin
Illustration by James Seymour