British High Commissioner takes on elections

Pat Ashworth

Many are still glued to television sets as the drama continues to unfold in Britain, where general elections have resulted in a hung parliament following Thursday’s poll. Labor’s Gordon Brown remains as Prime Minister until a government is formed. After long years in obscurity, the Conservatives won the majority of seats, but did not attain the required parliamentary majority.  The Liberal Democrats did not do as well as it had expected, winning only fifty-seven seats of the six hundred and fifty, but still they have emerged as the king makers and it’s leader Nick Cleg can very well decide who next will take up residence at Number Ten Downing Street. This morning News Five got the view of the British High Commissioner, Pat Ashworth, on how the high political brinkmanship was playing out in Britain. We asked first about the hung parliament.

Pat Ashworth, British High Commissioner

“That’s what we call a hung parliament when nobody has an absolute majority and so then we haven’t really been here since 1974, over thirty-five years ago. so all bets are off and now the parties then have to discuss whose going to be able to form the next government.”

Jose Sanchez

“Under normal circumstances, who would the Liberal Democrats align with ideologically?”

Pat Ashworth

“That is a difficult question. These days people will tell you ideology is not like it used to be but I think the Liberal Democrats would probably be seen as part of the progressive left of center. So normally you might say that they would be slightly more aligned with progressive forces such as Labor. But I think because the Conservatives have easily the biggest number of seats, I think they are discussing it with them at the moment.”

Jose Sanchez

Have alignments been successful in the past?

Pat Ashworth

Not really as I said 1974 it was tried. Before that there was a very informal Liberal, as the party was called then, Liberal Labour Alliance but that didn’t last very long. So it’s so long since this has happened. All we know is at the moment Gordon Brown remains still the prime minister.  And the labor party is still the government until there is agreement for another government.”

Jose Sanchez

“In your opinion is a reelection a possibility?”

Pat Ashworth

“It’s a difficult question. From where I’ve seen on TV, the experts are saying that whatever happens, there will probably be another election soon. I don’t know. It could be that as things develop, you find that the two parties will find that they can go along quite happily with each other but generally speaking, in the past it hasn’t worked, it has meant another election at some time. it may be months, it may be years, we just don’t know.”

Jose Sanchez

“If there is a regime change, the big question is regarding foreign policy. When you look at the United States election, President Obama’s campaign rested heavily on bringing back jobs and factories that were outsourced to other countries, back to the U.S. which could have affected a country like Belize. Does British Foreign policy have anything that would affect Belize?”

Pat Ashworth

“I don’t think that foreign policy plays too much of a role in British politics, not like it did in the United States. Bu there is agreement on the main aspect of it. I think Europe is an issue between the parties more than anything else, which shouldn’t really affect Belize too much.”