Shropshire Star

Star comment: Cameron must now unite the country

After what seems like one of the most drawn-out election campaigns in decades, the people have finally spoken.

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And in Shropshire, the message seems to be that the people want to see five more years of a Conservative-led government. One of the big surprises of the night, the defeat of long-serving Telford Labour MP David Wright, has left the county entirely in the hands of the Conservatives.

Few can argue that the town's new MP, Conservative Lucy Allan, has fought a committed and tenacious campaign, and we look forward to her fighting equally hard for Telford's interest at Westminster. Equally it is hard not to feel some sympathy for Mr Wright, who has been a popular and hard-working champion of the town during his 14 years as MP. We wish him well for the future.

But while it looks like David Cameron has done enough to earn another five years in Downing Street, the results suggest it will be a very different and more divided Britain he will now preside over.

The near wipe-out of the traditional parties in Scotland, coupled with the annihilation of the Liberal Democrats, has effectively split Great Britain into two. Scotland has now become a virtual one-party state, in the grip of a party whose stated aim is the break up of the United Kingdom. South of the border, England and Wales are sharply divided between the Conservatives and Labour.

And throw in the fact that Ukip has failed to make any significant breakthrough at Westminster, despite picking up far more votes than the SNP, and it will mean that a lot of people will wake up today feeling rather disgruntled at the outcome.

While Mr Cameron may feel pleased that the SNP have taken support from Labour and helped him back into Downing Street, he may also wonder what he has let himself in for as Nicola Sturgeon's party begins to flex its muscles and hold the rest of the UK to ransom.

The rise of the insurgent parties such as Ukip and the SNP has been seen by many as a symptom of an electorate which feels increasingly disenfranchised from traditional two-party politics.

It hasn't been one of the most memorable campaigns in British history, with the leaders of all three big parties accused of failing to capture the public's imagination.

It certainly has not been the most inspiring of election campaigns, but given the closeness of the polls it is probably little surprise that they have chosen to play it safe.

Nick Clegg, who narrowly held on to his seat in Sheffield Hallam, may well be reflecting on the price of entering a coalition with the Conservatives at the last General Election.

But while he may be disappointed by his party's nose-dive in popularity, there is little point of entering politics unless you wish to be in a position to change things. It would have been a waste – and a betrayal of the people who voted Liberal Democrat at the last election – had he turned down the opportunity to join the government.

And while we might complain about the state of politics in our country, we should be thankful that we have all had the opportunity to vote. As we commemorate the 70th anniversary of VE Day today, we should all take a moment to contemplate how fortunate we are to live in a country where the government is chosen by the people at the ballot box.

It will now fall to the Conservatives to try to form a new government, maybe in partnership with another party. It will be their responsibility to heal the divisions in our nation which this election has exposed, and to earn the trust of all the people of Britain.

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