Palfrey's life

I stayed up until 5:30am watching this (4:30am uk time). Labour have won. Predicted majority was 68-70, way down from previous 160. Conservatives probably hovering around the critical 209 seats point (the number Labour got in the 1983 election). Lib Dems definately have 48, currently on +9/10 that they didn't have last time, predicted final result is therefore in the 60/61 range, which would be their best result since 1923.
Interesting things of note (or at least to me):

• Bristol West has gone to the Lib Dems! Woo! Probably on the student vote!


• Ealing North stayed Labour. Ho hum.


• Seemingly more Monster Raving Looney party people than ever before, but they're not the same without Screaming Lord Sutch


• Watching the bronzed Kilroy-Silk shaking hands with a Monster Raving representative over the head of a small, suited Conservative representative was an odd image


• There's a "Church of the Militant Elvis" party

We appear to have entered a new wave of 3-party politics. This does raise certain issues - notably low share of actual votes for Labour/Conservatives (total predicted at 69%), and the whole "do we scrap first-past-the-post" vs. ending up with the crazy thing that is most coalition goverments. Future is interesting. Sleep now...