What does legitimacy really mean?

No you're certainly not the only one grannytwice! Can't wait for it all to be over but can foresee weeks of wrangling. Groan.

So, correct me if I've misunderstood G2, if the Tories get the highest number of votes they'll be legitimate, but if Labour gets the highest number of votes they'll be illegitimate? Why? Is this because the Tories are incumbent and are therefore allowed to get away with just getting the most votes, while Labour would need to do more than that?

Remember it's seats not votes Ash Tree which could (if the spirit moved) open up that whole can of worms about our electoral system and the (apparent) inequality of a party with the most votes overall still not forming the majority. Or perhaps the inequality of the heavily populated urban areas dictating to the rural others.

Yes, that was a slip of the pen typing finger Soutra - I did mean seats. The issue of the party with the most votes etc etc has been the subject of debate for many years. Can't see either of the two major parties ever having the nerve to change the present system.

I think really we have to think beyond 2 party politics at the moment and think coalition. So if after the election and the outcome is a hung parliament we look at the amount of votes for any one particular wing of politics i.e. left or right leaning and them reassess what would be legitimate with this in mind. So if the majority of the UK has voted for a right wing party of any sort and the seats show this then a a coalition of right wing parties would be deemed legitimate if they can command support in the Queens speech, if however the majority of seats voted for are for a left leaning government then it is legitimate for parties of the left to form a government and try to get a Queen's speech through. It is not legitimate in my view for a lame duck parliament to behave like a dog in the manger (sorry about the mixed metaphors!) and try to hang on until another election.

Posted this elsewhere but it seems appropriate here too: the election predictions of @fleetstreetfox. It's amusing on one level but also quite dis-spiriting.

Oh dear, the second article I have read from the Mirror that I more or less agreed with. Apart from the bit about pensioners, of course, but I could live with Farage ousting Katie Wotsit as resident spokesperson who should be gagged.
Cynical, moi?

I suppose she is just setting out, in simple terms for her audience, what we all know already. I think it might be time to just wait and see what happens. There could be a huge surprise. It's just possible.

fullfact.org/five_election_claim_pitfalls-44870