As the UK faces a hung Parliament–with no clear majority among the three parties–two literary leaders editorialized about the historic election.
At the The London Review of Books, John Lanchester had this comment: “[N]ow they’ll all go off somewhere and stich up a deal, with aides murmuring into mobiles while the party leaders keep going on adrenaline, caffeine, and the knowledge that the bond markets will want an arrangement in place by Monday. So much for our our decisive, bracingly unfair first-past-the post system. Whatever democracy is supposed to feel like, it’s not like this.”
The Publishers Association chief executive Simon Juden focused on publishing issues in a statement: “We will also be ready to provide support and advice to the new administration on a range of legislative areas. A commitment to reform our libel laws in order to prevent the UK becoming a hot-spot for libel tourists must be adhered to. The ramifications of the Digital Economy Act are yet to be fully digested, and further legislation on digitisation may still be necessary.”
Juden concluded: “Indeed, the growth of the digital economy is a huge consideration for an incoming Government, particularly in light of the recession. How the new administration responds to and utilises this sector will be critically important. Additionally, if the Conservatives do manage to form a working Government, we will be following up on Conservative commitments to look into the application of VAT to electronic products.”