General Election

[John Saunders]

Interestingly, Dr Evan Harris, now sadly an ex-MP, has tweeted the following...

Sorry to see Lab's Nick Palmer lose in Broxtowe - sound man & good chess player

So we have to add Nick Palmer as a chessplayer, though sadly he is now an ex-MP too.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Nick Palmer is first and foremost a wargaming fanatic, but yes he has played chess as well.....

A good bloke too, who very nearly held on even though he had no chance on paper, given the national mood

[Peter Rhodes]

The capital markets... you mean the ones who showed themselves so incompetent at the game and left the whole of the world's economy en prise?

Just as the rules that dictate the movement of the pieces changed in the past, so does the regulation that dictates the workings of the markets.

The markets did what they were supposed to do .... the regulation failed. Light touch regulation.... abolition of boom and bust.... etc etc.....
Ofc there are greedy bankers, however regulation and supervision failed.

[Neville Belinfante]

Another MP who supported chess and lost her seat was Charlotte Atkins (Staffordshire Moorlands). She raised an EDM for Chess as a Sport about 10 years ago.

[Jonathan Rogers]

Two questions

Will any chess player (including Ray Keene for these purposes) be asked to comment on the tactics in the negotiations after the election (or are poker players thought to be better versed in this sort of thing)?

What will be the most common chess-related cliche ("talks were heading for stalemate ... Clegg's opening gambit was to demand ... Brown had looked completely isolated and was an obvious sacrifice ...)?

[John Saunders]

Re your first question: I don't think either chess or poker skills are relevant to business negotiation. A market trader would make a better pundit.

Re your second question: I would have thought 'stalemate' would be the favourite. But somehow it will be resolved (something we chessplayers never manage to do). Perhaps we should start using other chess terms in our everyday conversation in the hope that they catch on. I look forward to someone saying something like 'Brown left his credibility en prise when he failed to remove his microphone', though I'm not holding my breath. Just so long as they pronounce it 'preez' and not the ghastly 'pree' that so many chessplayers go in for. My old French teacher would have killed me for pronouncing it like that.

[IM Jack Rudd]

There are a number of games in which negotiating skills do play a big part, although they're somewhat more obscure than chess and poker. Diplomacy is an obvious example.

[Angus French]

I look forward to someone saying something like 'Brown left his credibility en prise when he failed to remove his microphone'.

Somewhat off topic and maybe a little offensive but David Mellor, on the LBC show which he shares with Ken Livingstone, this morning cited a slogan which made me laugh: 'If it's Brown, flush it'.

[Arshad Ali]

Straying off-topic, there must be feverish plots and counter-plots behind the scenes (er, "adjournment analysis"). I hear the Lib Dems have asked for Brown's head on a plate as a precondition for any deal. And Labour will hand it to them.

This is in the Guardian today:

The Lib Dem leader had so far refused to entertain talks with Gordon Brown - but tonight he agreed to attend a secret meeting with the prime minister, who snuck out of No 10 via the back door, bound for the Foreign Office. Members of the cabinet are now offering the prime minister's head on a platter as bait to lure the Liberal Democrats away from a coalition deal with the Conservatives.

Also, any deal between the Tories and Lib Dems will come apart within a year and I predict elections will be held again in some months' time.

[Igor M. Fulovich]

Slightly off-topic, but after seeing Lembit Opik's performance on Have I Got News For You on BBC iPlayer last night, I can't imagine how a legend like that was voted off of his seat - regardless of which party we support. If only all politicians were able to chat like that, we'd all enjoy it an awful lot more.

[Louise Sinclair]

I suspect the elusive Lib Dems might have been stringing the conservatives along while a certain Lord Mandelson promised to "sort out the Gordon Brown issue". I smelt a big rat when the deal wasn't concluded on Friday.
I'm a staunch conservative but Cameron made a hash of his electoral campaign.
Louise

[Jonathan Bryant]

Slightly off-topic, but after seeing Lembit Opik's performance on Have I Got News For You on BBC iPlayer last night, I can't imagine how a legend like that was voted off of his seat - regardless of which party we support. If only all politicians were able to chat like that, we'd all enjoy it an awful lot more.

I M Ful of Ich? Congratulations on your name sir.

[Carl Hibbard]

I M Ful of Ich? Congratulations on your name sir.

Have I perhaps "missed" another one

[Jonathan Bryant]

Maybe Carl Maybe. Perhaps he's the real deal. He might even introduce his friend Biggus Diccus to our forum.

[Arshad Ali]

He might even introduce his friend Biggus Diccus to our forum.

That gent was surely referred to in "Life of Brian?" And also a propos the ancient world, Brown's head has been duly handed over on a plate. Remember: new elections before the year is over. No coalition will hold in the face of (inevitable) social unrest to the brutal spending cuts all three parties are committed to. And the mandate is not there in the first place. Turbulence ahead and fasten your belts.