Defying all odds, and debunking all opinion polls, David Cameron, of the Conservative party, secured a second term as Prime Minister of UK in the elections held last week.
What is surprising me, and to all of us, is the difference – in what the opinion polls had predicted, and what had actually happened.
Opinion polls were saying that the Tories will not be able to hold on to their seats.
They were also suggesting that neither Labour candidates nor Liberal Democrats will get good numbers, and therefore, the UK government will be in complete disarray when the election results are out.
But shockingly, conservatives were able to not only keep their seats, but also expand their base substantially.
They won 331 seats out of 650, and can form a new government. This time without the need for any coalition, like in Cameron’s first term win, five years ago.
326 seats is all that a party needs to win, in order to form the government.
The unexpected increase of the Tory seats has now left the opposition leaders wondering what hit them.
As soon as they realized that David Cameron was heading back to 10 Downing Street, to stay for the next term, resignations were announced.
Labour’s Ed Miliband, Liberal Democrat’s Nick Clegg and UK Independence Party’s (UKIP) Nigel Farage have all quit their posts.
Nick Clegg, who was the Deputy Prime Minister for five years, was able to hold on to his seat of Sheffield Hallam but he had had no choice but to accept defeat as the leader of Liberal Democrat.
The inaccuracy of the poll predication is what I was wondering about. And I found that it has become a big point of discussion in UK.
So much so that the British Polling Council, supported by the Market Research Society, is setting up an independent enquiry to look into the possible causes of this apparent bias, and to make recommendations for future polling.
But what does Cameron’s re-election mean to UK?
Firstly, the EU referendum of 2017 is likely to give him a tough time. The British position in the European Union is unlikely to find a common ground within his party.
Secondly, now, with the huge victory for SNP (Scottish National Party) with 55 seats, a second Scottish independence referendum cannot be ruled out. And we must see how he handles it.
Thirdly, how will his government cut the welfare budget for working age people by £12 bn? Tories promised huge cuts in government spending and it is not going to be easy for him.
And what does Cameron’s’ re-election mean to UK-GCC relations?
It would be status quo, I think, on on-going issues. Barely ten days ago, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond had met with the Saudi Foreign Minister in Riyadh.
Saudi government had expressed concerns – firstly, on Iran’s probable nuclear capability, saying it could threaten regional and international security, and secondly, on the Yemen crisis for British support.
Discussions are still on, but Philip Hammond – who is now reappointed as British Foreign Minister after Cameron’s re-election – is likely to maintain friendly UK-GCC relations.
All said and done, David Cameron, who, at 43, became the second youngest prime minister of UK after Robert Banks Jenkinson, the 2nd Earl of Liverpool, who was 42 when he took up the position in 1812.
But will he be UK’s last Prime Minister? That is what some people are asking, as they feel that, with SNP’s win, Scotland’s independence issue might get resurrected.
I hope not.