The challenge if the Conservatives had not won the election would have been for parties such as SNP, Liberal Democrats, Green and Labour to work together to come up with an alternative way of leading the nation. It would have happened with a great deal of challenge from the Conservatives but also from the media and time would have been critical. The mathematics for our Parliament means that Labour cannot ever be as big as the Tories unless the SNP disappeared and the Scottish voters went back to endorsing Labour which would require some major shifts and in our life times will certainly not happen. However what is needed more than anything now is for these parties to begin to work together and indeed to ensure we don’t end up with another Presidential style election in 2024 or whenever the next General Election arises. So one way for this to begin to be resolved would be for Labour and the SNP along with the Lib Dems and the Green party to explore ways of working together as the opposition group of parties. It will be much easier to find ways of working in opposition than if they were the majority of Parliament. Whilst the Labour Party is going through the process of electing their new leader, perhaps now is the time for a different form of political thinking!

Indeed it would potentially allow all of these parties to demonstrate a type of collaborative working that could inspire a new generation of voters who could turn towards the collaborative group at the next General Election.