A bumpy road ahead
What have we voted for? On today's Politics Show debate I was struck by how downbeat our three politicians felt about the chance of striking any sort of coalition deal.
Liberal Democrat Sandra Gidley has lost her seat to Conservatives in Romsey, but take a look at the quote below: Sour grapes, or someone with the freedom to speak candidly?
"David Cameron has made a big mistake by suggesting that it [PR] is not on the agenda. He's shown that the party hasn't really changed and they quite like it when it's buggins turn again. So PR has got to be first on the agenda.
And it's not on the agenda, so what do you say about the coalition?I think a coalition is probably not possible and a lot of our party members would be upset."
Newly-elected Conservative Penny Mordaunt felt that her leader David Cameron may have to give more ground, but the pressure is on the Liberal Democrats.
"This is a test for Nick Clegg to put the country before his party. Yes, we can have discussions about electoral reform but there are more important things - the economy being top of the list - we need a government that's going to get to grips with that."
Southampton Labour MP Alan Whitehead felt a LibCon deal would be unworkable:
"If there was a coalition a number of Liberal Democrats would have to sit on their hands while a government passes measures that they would find completely anathema."
Of course it could all be sorted out tonight.. but if you'd like a snapshot of the unfolding scenario as seen from a South of England perspective take a look at the Politics Show discussion on the iPlayer by clicking here.
Welcome to the hustings! I'm Peter Henley, the BBC's political reporter in the south of England. From parish councils in Sussex, to European politics in Oxford, this is the blog for you. 
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