ABBA NETWORK

Nick Clegg yesterday won the backing of his party in its bid to try a pact with the Conservatives and the negotiations forward in a climate ‘very positive and constructive. ” ‘Tories’ and liberals say has not been formally given a deadline to reach an agreement, but would like to have it completed tomorrow and closed before the Wednesday of creation of the new House of Commons.

A few thousand people demonstrated in front of delegations from both parties to push the negotiation, which this morning will be renewed by both parties, and to claim an electoral system of proportional representation, and especially complicated key issue in negotiating the pact.
If it is consumed, probably it would be an external support agreement, not a coalition government. If the talks fail, the more plausible option is a minority government the Conservatives (306 seats), based on time in the Ulster Unionists (8). An absolute majority is 326 members.
An alternative pact between Labour (258) and Liberal Democrats (57), but actively sought by the party of Gordon Brown, is less feasible-it will add to the Scottish Nationalists (6) and Welsh (3) and also Northern Irish Catholics of the SDLP (3) to reach the majority. In addition, Brown’s position begins to weaken, a Labour MP called for his resignation yesterday and his relations with Clegg seems to have deteriorated.

With or without a settlement
The BBC said in a telephone conversation between Brown and Clegg, the Labour leader was shouting to him by his insistence that he must resign. Sources from both formations denied that the conversation had been tense. In any event, the campaign drew a post-election situation Clegg without Brown.
Meanwhile, a growing general feeling that Cameron would have to be prime minister but can not close a deal with Liberal Democrats. In that sense, little more than two-thirds of Britons want Brown to resign immediately as prime minister, according to a YouGov poll published today by ‘The Sunday Times. ”
In meetings with liberal-democratic direction, the parliamentary group and the party’s federal committee, was endorsed Clegg’s position that the first option is an agreement with David Cameron. “Nick wants the whole party is with him on this,” said Simon Hughes, one of the liberal-democratic leaders involved in talks with the Conservatives. Hughes admitted that these are not the “quick natural allies” of his party, but said that “everyone in the United Kingdom expects us to be responsible.”

The main obstacle to a deal is on the electoral system reform. Liberal Democrats call for proportional representation, especially since the existing punishment for minor parties (the lib-dem have achieved 23% of the vote but have stayed with 8.7% of the seats). The “Tories” have been insisting that want to maintain the simple majority single-member system, which rewards the formation of majorities (the consevadores have had 36.1% of the votes and 47.2% of the seats).

Reform is a historical claim of the Liberal Democrats and the party base hardly accept a pact that does not include a compromise of some kind in this line, something that Labour have already offered the hope that a pact fails Cameron-Clegg . Anyway, the Liberal Democrats can not focus all on that point, it would be as an opportunistic look after your interest only when the country’s priority is to establish a government and lay the groundwork for economic recovery.

Jane Kennedy, who quit as farming minister, joined the ranks of Labour politicians who said Mr Brown should quit. So did Stephen Byers, Frank Field and Sally Keeble, all former ministers under Tony Blair.

They bring to 13 the number of Labour MPs who have spoken out against Mr Brown in the last week, a significant number but still well short of the “critical mass” rebel leaders had hoped for.

Since the Labour plot emerged last week, Mr Brown’s allies, led by Lord Mandelson, have been putting growing pressure on wavering backbenchers not to back the rebellion.

Crucially, Mr Brown’s machine appears to have persuaded some MPs that if he was ousted, Labour would have no choice but to call an early general election, where many of them might lose their seats.

Mr Brown himself was appointed prime minister in the course of a parliament and has insisted he did not need to call an election to give him a mandate. Some Labour MPs have ridiculed his allies claim that another leader would have to take a different course.

Mr Field, a candidate for Commons Speaker, said the argument put by Mr Brown’s team was “absurd”.

However, John Grogan, a backbencher who has repeatedly rebelled against the Government, said that the threat of an early election had swayed some MPs and persuaded them to stay silent.