The UK General Election of 2011 was notable largely because it was fought on issues other than the economy, which was relatively tepid. The governing Conservatives had never properly recovered from the Bành scandal, where two cabinet ministers were caught taking bribes to influence government contracts in favour of Indo-Chinese corporations. They were also damaged by infighting in their associated Unionist Parties in Scotland and Ulster. The retirement of Charles Duncan in 2010 (ostensibly for health reasons) and his replacement with Goldie was seen as the main reason why the Tories didn't do worse. The successful Anglo French Concorde 15 mission to Mars as well as the withdrawal of British troops from Algeria also helped boost the Tories' flagging popularity. The Free Liberals, who had successfully pushed through many denationalisations in coalition with the Tories were also caught up in the Bành scandal, as a leading Free Liberal Minister was caught up in the scandal; that was seen as the main reason why the coalition didn't break up when the scandal broke in 2009. The result of this, compounded by their leader Jon Davey's hapless defence of the accused ministers, was the party's decimation: had they done better, the Tories could have stayed in power.
The Reform Party also did badly, as the party that nearly held government feuded as the result of traditional Social Creditists did battle with left-wing Environmentalists from the former Ecology Party. Their poor record in the Devolved Government in Scotland did them in; beforehand the election half their seats were in Scotland, afterwards they had none. The Red-Greens were the result of a merger of the Ecologists and the Socialists, and had a good electoral debut. The Alliance of Nations was a national platform for the many Nationalist and regionalist parties (including Sinn Fein and Naitional Pairtie of Scotland) and did well with their eloquent and popular leader in the debates.
The Radical Party of John Gilmore, by contrast, ran a lacklustre and insipid campaign, making gains largely off the back of the unpopularity of its opponents rather than anything that they did. Promises to expand the Space Program and renegotiate the Free Trade Agreement with Germany were not as popular as many liked to think. Many in the party were spooked by how they lost ground to the Red-Greens and Nationalists. Gilmore was never an inspiring leader, and his colleagues who had tried to oust him in 2010 (led by Ben Griffin) argued in private that the Radicals could and should have won a majority. But they didn't, and Gilmore was content to play off the Reformists and Red-Greens against each other in order to command a majority in the Commons.
The Reform Party also did badly, as the party that nearly held government feuded as the result of traditional Social Creditists did battle with left-wing Environmentalists from the former Ecology Party. Their poor record in the Devolved Government in Scotland did them in; beforehand the election half their seats were in Scotland, afterwards they had none. The Red-Greens were the result of a merger of the Ecologists and the Socialists, and had a good electoral debut. The Alliance of Nations was a national platform for the many Nationalist and regionalist parties (including Sinn Fein and Naitional Pairtie of Scotland) and did well with their eloquent and popular leader in the debates.
The Radical Party of John Gilmore, by contrast, ran a lacklustre and insipid campaign, making gains largely off the back of the unpopularity of its opponents rather than anything that they did. Promises to expand the Space Program and renegotiate the Free Trade Agreement with Germany were not as popular as many liked to think. Many in the party were spooked by how they lost ground to the Red-Greens and Nationalists. Gilmore was never an inspiring leader, and his colleagues who had tried to oust him in 2010 (led by Ben Griffin) argued in private that the Radicals could and should have won a majority. But they didn't, and Gilmore was content to play off the Reformists and Red-Greens against each other in order to command a majority in the Commons.
