So Nick Clegg wins. Well ... whoop-de-doo!
For most (if not all) of us, isn't it just a relief that the 'Snoozeathon' (hat-tip to Iain Dale) is finally over? Actually I think Iain has it about right in that the ultimate 'loser' in this protracted 'watching-paint-dry' exercise is the LibDem party itself. No momentum or traction was generated within either the media (though the BBC did at least try to help them along) or the minds of the general public by the contest. Nick Clegg has ended up with a 'victory' of sorts but, because of the narrowness of the margin, it is decidedly hollow. And, given his lacklustre performance during the campaign, there has to be a real risk that (a la the Great Bottler) he's not really cut out for the intensity of the top job. The party itself, in not giving either Clegg or Huhne a clear mandate, has manifested its natural inclination towards degrees of tribalism and indecision - typically, their Janus-faced instinct of trying to look both ways at the same time has come to the fore.
But, as Iain says, this is not to underestimate Nick Clegg. Although I make no prognosis of potential coalition deals (above my pay grade) it is undoubtedly correct that Clegg has more potential appeal to Conservative rather than Labour waverers. For the Tories that is both a problem and a risk that needs to be addressed. But, for me, the real question has to be what sort of room for manoeuvre does Clegg actually have, given that the narrowness of the outcome shows that Huhne has a viable power-base - and therefore influence over both policy and tactics/strategy - within the party as a whole? Will he find himself somewhat hog-tied by the noises off that, in all likelihood, will emanate from the Huhne camp in the coming weeks and months?
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