By SARAH LYALL
c.2010 New York Times News Service
LONDON – The British public’s failure to elect a clear winner in Thursday’s national election appeared to be a mass expression of exasperation with a discredited government and an uninspiring opposition. It also showed the voters’ disillusionment with the increasingly creaky electoral system itself.
As it happens, electoral change – in particular, a move to proportional representation – is one of the priorities of the Liberal Democratic Party. And now that the usually toothless Liberal Democrats have been thrust into a pivotal role, engaged in talks with the Conservative Party for a possible role as a coalition partner, the issue has taken on a new urgency.
Speaking to reporters after an extraordinary topsy-turvy night, Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democratic leader, said that the vote “made it absolutely clear that our electoral system is broken.”