The latest polls in Alberta show the NDP on the road to electoral victory. According to T.C.Norris the party should win between the low 40s to mid 50s in seats in the Alberta legislature giving them at the very least a minority government. In Britain the latest poll of polls shows Labour and the Conservatives tied at 33 % each. If this result occurs on election day the difference in seats between the two major parties will be minimal, probably fewer than ten.

Just as occurred in Canada when the Conservatives came to power the British Conservatives are claiming falsely that it would be illegitimate for which ever party came second to seek to form a government with the support of smaller parties even if  it were second by only a few seats in the case where the leading party had a plurality of the seats but not the majority. There should be no misunderstanding. Constitutionally a government can be formed by which ever party commands the support of a majority of  voting members of the parliament. It might be an emerging convention although I ‘m not sure it is, that the party with the largest bloc of seats but still not a majority, particularly if they are the incumbent government, should be given the first opportunity to negotiate an alliance or coalition that can meet the test of a vote in Parliament. But if it fails it is absolutely in order for the Queen to ask the second largest party to seek to form a government. The delay in doing so should be minimal and in no circumstances does the previous government have the right to call for another election without the alternative government in waiting testing the will of Parliament.