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And so in a space
of 40 minutes, the 54th parliament of the United Kingdom was dissolved
and in came a new government; which in many ways has proved a
remarkable turn of events. The just concluded UK general elections
provided a great number of firsts, with a wide ranging impact on the
political landscape of the United Kingdom.

For the first time
in a British election and perhaps taking a leaf out of the American
book, a televised debate amongst the leaders of the main three parties
was held. It was also the first time since 1979 that none of the three
main party leaders had headed a previous general election campaign. In
addition, it was the first time since 1974 and only the second time
since the Second World War that a British general election returned a
hung parliament.

The reasons for
this are wide-ranging and varied. Central, was the effect of the recent
expenses scandal which showed the UK parliament to not be above the
trade mark characteristic of self interest that dogs politicians. The
scandal which exposed the MPs who abused the parliamentary expenses
system in turn resulted in a decline in voter confidence and party
support. Similarly, a series of problems for the incumbent including
the recent global economic downturn, the ongoing wars and in house
political scandals, helped seal his fate and arguably; increase the
indecisiveness of the electorate. The big faux pas committed by Gordon
Brown when he was overhead referring to voter as a bigot for her views
on migration, didn’t help either.

The list goes on as
we consider the various coulda, woulda and shoudas that have culminated
in what we now refer to as the UK general election of 2010.

A certain
conclusion however, would be the ambitious outcome of a coalition
government that has been the fruit of this recent UK general election.
Julian Glover in the UK Guardian observes that although the election
might have been born of an electoral accident – a hung parliament in
which no single party could rule alone securely – it is generally
acknowledged that the union of the two parties represents a fundamental
coming together of ideas and values. And what a coming together this
has proved; an opportunity to do away with the typical combination of
liberal economics and social conservatism, a government that would be
neither solely pro-market Thatcherism nor Marxist socialism. How long
will the coalition last? Only time will tell.

The new government
however, has gotten on with things. In its new coalition manifesto, key
areas of action have been identified and compromises sought. These
include getting the economy back on track by effecting cuts in public
spending as opposed to tax rises; setting a cap on inward migration by
non-EU citizens and increasing tax allowances for low to medium earners
in the country. But it will be difficult, very difficult indeed to make
rapid progress as these are difficult times.

UK unemployment is
at its highest since 1994 and further spending cuts will arguably make
any recovery very painful. Of course, there are a raft of social issues
of rising concern including migration and Europe, both contentious
areas of policy for both members of the UK’s newest political marriage.
This is before the issue of Afghanistan and the UK relationship with
America is considered.

Howeverm for me, what stood out in the just concluded UK general
elections was the political maturity exhibited by most of its
participants. Yes the UK elections were beset by problems and game
playing – it actually took six days for political consensus to be
achieved and for a government to be formed. However, it was done
respectfully and most certainly; it was not a do-or-die affair. This
was evidenced in Mr. Brown’s dignified and brief departure from number
ten .Of course, a key reason for this is the fact that the political
systems in the west are largely based on ideology and a clear desire to
serve as opposed to what we have back at home, typified by patronage
and ethnic alliances. Whilst a middle ground can be achieved between
pro-market thatcherite thinking and Marxist socialism, some would argue
that a bridge between Hausa and Igbo may not necessarily be the best
approach for a Yoruba man or Itshekiri. Following Barack Obama’s
historic election recently, politicians around the world have
campaigned on the back of genuine change and in some cases; actually
believe in positive change for their respective communities. Will
Nigeria ever achieve this luxury? Is the change lurking in the
background here in Nigeria, for good or bad? Most importantly, I cannot
help but wonder if events that occur in the run up to 2011, will lead
to the change we need.