I Want to See Clegg and the Lib Dems Win

I usually don't venture too far off the track of American politics, but the leader of the Liberal Democratic party in the UK has got my attention.

Nick Clegg, the Member of Parliament and charismatic leader of the Lib Dems since December 2007, is up big time in the British polls after two of the three planned debates between the leaders of the three largest parties, Clegg, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and Conservative leader David Cameron. The latest YouGov poll puts Clegg in second behind Cameron with 30% to the Conservative Party's 34% (Labour is doing better than it was a month ago and is close behind at 28%).

Despite what American and Canadian media has been saying about Clegg the past couple weeks since he has risen so high in the polls, Clegg is not a candidate no one knew anything about. In fact, Clegg's party usually garners around 15-20% of the popular vote in parliamentary elections, but he has never been so close to the top.

In an April 20 YouGov poll, Clegg was actually ahead of both Cameron's Tories and Brown's Labour with 34% to Cameron's 31% and Brown's 26%.

However, with the third debate coming up, I wouldn't be surprised to see Clegg jump in the polls again, he's charismatic and has shown to be the alternative for those who are tired of Labour but don't want to see the Conservative Party in power.

I'm hoping for a Clegg victory.

It'd be amazing to see the Lib Dems come out on top, which would be historic for British politics in which Labour and the Tories have been the two largest parties since the 1920s.

The one thing I'm wary about is splitting the liberal vote in the UK as Clegg has said he won't form a government with Labour if they come in third in the elections and no party has a majority, so long as Brown is Prime Minister.

However, he has not ruled out forming a government with Labour and keeping the Prime Minister's seat in liberal, left-of-center hands.

The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne argues that there almost certainly will be a coalition government between the Lib Dems and Labour.

I hope so, it only makes sense.

Especially considering a coalition government between the right-of-center Conservative Party and the left-of-center Lib Dems wouldn't exactly work in harmony and a Lib Dem/Labour coalition just feels so natural.

All predictions on what will happen if the UK elections produce a hung government aside, I'm pulling for Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems to make a splash and pull out a win.