The votes are counted and the parliamentarians returned. But still the political complexion of the next government is not clear. Welcome to coalition politics. The negotiations between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives are continuing. Meanwhile, the Labour Party waits in the wings, ready to do their own deal should those talks break down.
There is nothing unseemly about this process. In stable political systems across the world, parties fight robustly on distinctive policy platforms in election campaigns in order to win as many votes as possible. And then, when the campaign is over, they look for areas of compromise between them. This is what the public expects in those countries with proportional voting systems. It is what the public expects here in Britain now.
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