General Election - Round Two?
Phew! The election negotiations are over. David Cameron and Nick Clegg are in Downing Street ...and some are already looking ahead to the campaign for the next general election.
Two senior local government Tories from the East Midlands now believe the Conservatives are at stage one. Stage two is about securing a majority Conservative government. But when and how soon?
David Parsons, the Leader of Leicestershire County Council, was at Westminster charting the impact of coalition government for local council spending. There could be more tough financial decisions in the months to come.
Kay Cutts, the Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, knows the difficulties of managing and implementing a programme of efficiency savings, that critics and public sector unions will label as massive cuts.
Kay was at home watching the TV coverage of David Cameron arriving in Downing Street. She has doubts - shared by many Tories - about the coalition with the Lib Dems.
"It's not ideal. But seeing David Cameron as our Prime Minister is wonderful. Gordon Brown just had to go. He led one of the worst governments ever. If it takes the support of Mr Clegg to start clearing up the economic mess left behind by Labour, then so be it."Many Tories are biting their lips over the prospect of a referendum on changing the voting system. The Alternative Vote is Stage One for the Lib Dems. Stage Two is full proportional representation.
It's easy to see why Tories in the East Midlands will be worried. According to research from the Electoral Reform Society, the Libs Dems would gain four seats off the Conservatives under AV (Alternative Vote), and nine seats under STV (Single Transferable Vote), the system most favoured by Nick Clegg's party.
Based on last Thursday's results, both types of voting systems would leave Labour still on 15 seats in the East Midlands. The Lib Dem gains would be at the expense of Conservative seats.
It's little wonder that senior Tories such as Kay Cutts and David Parsons want to secure a second Cameron government... with an outright majority.
Hello. My name is John Hess. I'm the BBC's Political Editor for the East Midlands and this blog will offer my musings on the political scene from Westminster to closer to home. 
