Laurence's Blog

I never got around to writing about technical or work related things here. I'm trying to change that with the blog on my new company's site. See the Shuttle Thread Blog Plone and work related things. I'll keep this site around for the occasional personal musing.

Coalition horse trading seems rather novel for Britain. What might we see? A full Tory-Lib Dem coalition seems unlikely - it would surely mean electoral suicide for the Lib Dems for little in return.

A minority Tory administration with Liberal acquiescence remains a possibility, but only a Labour-Lib Dem coalition could bring about electoral reform. That would require support from at least Plaid Cymru (Labour coalition partners in Wales), the SDLP and Sylvia Hermon (the Labour-leaning ex-Ulster Unionist who left her party after it allied with the Tories) from Northern Ireland, and Caroline Lucas the new Green Party MP.

That would make 323, a bare majority of 2 after excluding the Speaker and the 5 Sein Fein MPs (who do not take up their seats.) Will we have a government by Monday? Would anyone outside the bond markets care?

Walking with my Dad up Shining Tor last weekend I was shocked to find that the steps have been replaced with a gate. Far less aesthetically pleasing than before!

The NIESR is calling the end of the recession, but is this more than a 'dead cat bounce' brought about by restocking following months of running down inventories? The empty poster sites all over the tube are not encouraging.

Home is a state of mind as well as a place. Perhaps it was only by leaving that I could realise what I had left. I'm glad to have had the opportunity to live and work in London and then Norway, but after 20 months away it is a relief to be back in Manchester.

I shall be very glad when my current project is out the way. I'm still getting to grips with permanent employment, project management and multiple projects competing for attention. As a contractor you usually only have one project at a time to worry about. When that finishes you have a break until the next one comes along.

The Latitude Festival was good, but it took me a couple of days to unwind before I could really enjoy it and do more than wander around dazed.