They can't just [icall[/i an election. In the past ending up as a minority government would be a reason to call one but that is not allowed any more. A minority government has not got the right to call an election off its own bat. So if the Lib Dems walked out the Tory minority government could not just call an election.

There are only two ways to get an early election now.

We would get one if the government lost a vote of no confidence and no alternative government was able to be formed within 14 days. So in theory the government could lose a no confidence vote and they could all go back to the drawing board. Labour could try a minority government with the Lib Dems. The Tories could go it alone as a minority government or they could even, I suppose, try and thrash out out a new agreement with the Lib Dems. If they all fail to form a government that passes a confidence vote in 14 days we get an election.

The no confidence vote is still decided by simple majority but Labour + Lib Dems can't outvote the Tories and it would be very odd for the government to have no confidence in itself. That would be a huge message to the country to vote for someone else.

The other way is of more than 2/3 of MP's vote for an early election (434 out of 650). If the Lib Dems felt ambushed into leaving government they may abstain from such a vote or vote against and the Tories would have to vote themselves out of office with Labours help. Pretty similar to having no confidence in your own government I think.

Voting yourself out of office is a lot different politically to just calling an election because you ended up a minority administration or whatever. If we got to that stage the proverbial would have hit the fan and I reckon it would be worth quite a few percent swing away from the governing parties. So I really don't think it is an option.

They will lumber on until 7th may 2015 IMO.

Cheers, didn't realise things had changed. Are you sure Labour + Lib Dems can't outvote the Tories? I know things have changed since the election but 258 (Lab) + 57 (LD) = 315 to the Tories 307. In practice it probably wouldn't happen mind you.

(Edit - now 304, 254 and 57, so still theroretically possible)

The Deputy PM on BBC News informing us about his economy stimulation plans and how he's going to allow people to build extensions beyond 3 metres in their own homes.

Well that'll sort everything out then.

T0SSER!

If my neighbour wants to build an extension that blocks the light from my house/garden, how do I stop him (legally

) if planning permission isn't needed?

Still it's good to know this shower are focussed on getting us out of recession

You're ignoring the 2/3rds majority now required to force an election

Some lovely setting people up to fail going on in this reshuffle. Take Ministers who are already hugely unpopular, and put them into departments heading for disaster so they can take the fall.

It would be funny if the ramifications for so many people were not so serious.

I still find myself wondering if they really believe any of this nonsense or not.

Bugger me, it's getting worse: [url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9523901/David-Cameron-made-three-ministers-cry-when-he-sacked-them.htmlTax dodger Lord Ashcroft brought into government[/url. I wonder if he'll start paying UK tax before he takes up his duties?

[url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19461367Honours for reshuffle casualties[/url. Where else would you expect to receive an honour for getting the bullet? And they criticise failed bankers' bonuses

Hope Ashcroft's been smart enough to move his money - the UK now has an information sharing agreement with Belize

They've also sneaked another goodie into the same bundle of proposals, developers will now no longer be forced to include a percentage of "affordable homes" as part of planning on new developments.

Both of these proposals are gifts to the building industry as a result of intense lobbying for less regulation and more freedom to do what the hell they like, expect more loosening of green belt legislation shortly.

Its like they think we can't see what they are doing all along...

It's like they don't care.

There is a bright side to the freeing up of planning regulations. If it means that someone like Isobel Waterhouse can get further up the nose of that well-known [is[/ihithouse [url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/4967513/Sports-presenter-Steve-Rider-in-planning-row-in-Devon-village.htmlSteve Rider[/url then it can't be all bad

It will be interesting to see how mortgage providers and insurance companies will view any property with an extension that didn't go through the planning process.

More on the relaxing of planning regulations: [url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/hands-off-our-land/9522902/House-builders-sitting-on-400000-undeveloped-plots-of-land-with-planning-permission.htmlDevelopers sitting on 400,000 plots with planning permission granted[/url

Now imagine if they were to be charged LVT

New junior health minister with [url=http://pdeveson.posterous.com/dr-dan-and-the-100-hour-weeksquestions to answer[/url

It's almost as if they were waiting to see if the results of their lobbying would remove the requirement to build affordable homes.

I'd be more concerned if it missed the Building Control process, rather than the planning.

How would that work then if there's no requirement to submit plans?

This bunch do seem to rack up liars more than most don't they?

presumably it would work that it works currently for work that doesn't need planning permission i.e. an extension less than 3m from the house.

You have to submit a building regs notice for any extension even if it doesn't need planning. You could probably ignore it if you wished, but you could do that with planning permission too. You might be more likely to get caught building without planning permission as I don't think building regs submissions can be checked on council websites in the same way. However it would probably still get asked for if a mortgage surveyor noticed a recent extension.

I don't get how its going to help developers much though. Planning permission isn't difficult or overly expensive as long as you're not in a listed building or proposing to do anything stupid, which is what its supposed to prevent anyway.

If I were a Tory MP in anything other than a gold-plated safe seat I'd be very worried right now. Looks as if the current incumbents have accepted that they'll only be a single-term government and are actively getting their snouts - and those of their mates - as deeply in the trough as possible while it lasts.

It's a concern, especially that thirteen years wasn't enough to wind back even half of the damage that the previous tory administration had wrought and that was through a relative boom, compared to the prevailing economic conditions.

Labour could do worse than look back at the proposals and actions under Attlee and to a lesser extent Gaitskell. There's a dire need for affordable, social housing and with a little imagination, it shouldn't be too difficult to find the investment to finance such projects.

I can't decide whether these morons have detestable faces because we know what they're like, or having a detestable face is a prerequisite of this c*ntlition government