This weekend in Bristol, a few rooms tucked away in the corner of the University were transformed into the battle buses of the three main parties, fighting for votes in the UK 2010 election. I was one of the four people on the Lib Dem team, Chris Huhne to be precise, trying to develop a strategy to win votes and, if it came to coalition talks, to get the Lib Dems a good deal – without going back on promises.
Having three parties made the game very different to the US election game I took part in in March – it was harder to read how the other two parties were doing, and I found that it was easier to focus more on our campaign without having to respond to our opponents’ every move. Labour in-fighting and the Conservatives’ focus on attacking Labour meant that we made progress on the Saturday, but things became more difficult once the Conservatives began to notice the gains we had made.
The personal objectives gave the game an interesting twist – the aim was to balance you own ambitions with your party’s best interests. I was given the aim of being re-elected in the most marginal seat of the game – something that was made even more difficult by reports that Chris Huhne was involved in a speeding points scandal. Thankfully, by visiting my constituency several times and reassuring the inhabitants that this was all just slander cooked up by the opposition, I managed to hold on to my seat.
There was only a very short time for coalition negotiations, and with lots of back room deals already sealed, only the leaders had a good idea of what was on the table! Determined to give the Lib Dems a good deal, we were pushing for the Chancellor position – something neither party was willing to budge on. Suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere, a grand coalition deal was made between Labour and the Conservatives. The Lib Dems had lost out in the coalition, but, we were sure, were better off in the long run. Unite the Union was already unhappy with rumours that Labour was in talks with the Conservatives, and as the opposition, we only stood to gain in the next election.
It was a great weekend, with socials and meals provided, and I really enjoyed the experience. Check out http://www.ukimun.com/ if you want to find out more about future events 🙂