The prospect seems remote. But is National Government on its way?

One can conceive of Ministers seeking an all-party public front, and Labour objecting to responsibility with no power.

Lewis Baston: Election gambles that worked. And those that failed – like May’s this year.

And those that never were, such as 1978, 1991 and 2007. Prime Ministers tend to make the opposite error to that of their predecessors.

Lewis Baston: The Scottish Conservatives – fragile, but enduring and adaptable. A history.

A further graft from the remnants of Labour and the LibDems might be the best way of preserving the Union and providing an alternative government to the SNP.

Lewis Baston: How a centrist Tory leader won a landslide victory over left-wing Labour – 80 years ago tomorrow

Nearly every observer expected the same result – a Conservative win with a reduced majority. This as found to be in error when the votes were counted.

Lewis Baston: Do general election campaigns help to decide the results?

Most produce results that are more or less what a reader of opinion polls and other electoral data might have anticipated a few months in advance.