By sheer coincidence but nevertheless one packed with much symbolism, on the day World War II ended 70 years ago, a new day began in Britain as Prime Minister David Cameron and his Conservative Party claimed an outright majority in Parliament, with 331 seats out of 650, giving them a bright green light to form a new government. On the day the defeat of Nazi Germany by the allies was officially announced, so, too, rival British party leaders all unconditionally surrendered after a tsunami result that few, including the pollsters, had predicted. One would have to go back to the fall of Margaret Thatcher or the landslide victory of Tony Blair to find a political moment in Britain quite like this one. The outcome of this election could reshape the country's global role for years, most importantly in terms of Britain's relationship with the European Union. Cameron has promised the country a referendum in 2017 on whether to stay in the EU or leave. The referendum's results, however, could be as unpredictable as Friday's elections. In an extreme scenario, as the one just witnessed, Britain could leave the EU, triggering Scotland to leave Britain, and join the EU. There is also a huge new presence of Scottish National Party MPs at Westminster. The strong showing by the SNP will fuel a fresh push for Scottish independence. Many Scots want to split from Britain and tried to last year by voting. It failed, but the sentiments showed up big in Friday's vote as the SNP became the third largest elected power in parliament. The Scots will now look for a voice of their own. As to the economy, Cameron is credited for Britain's recovery from recession. The UK enjoyed the fastest growth of any major developed economy last year, and unemployment has fallen rapidly. But there is a huge UK deficit to be tackled and a welfare state whose spending is ballooning. Overseas, there was a time when Britain had a significant voice but in the past few years, Britain's influence at least in Europe has waned, increasingly taking a back seat to Germany as Chancellor Angela Merkel has emerged as the go-to European leader in tending to world affairs, including how to keep financially-strapped Greece afloat and acting as the intermediary between Kiev and Moscow over Ukraine. Both issues have been left to Merkel to take the lead. In the run-up to the elections, there were forecasts of extreme political factions taking over, making it tough to form a new government, much less keep one together. There was fear the election would reshape Britain's global role, with consequent ripple effects around the world. But that never transpired. Of course, there will be changes, but moored in stability, primarily in the form of Cameron who retains his office at 10 Downing. The results avert the risk of a tilt toward leftist policies under a Labour government and allow Cameron to remain a true moderate conservative. But because he's only got a very small majority, he might be in constant conflict with the extreme right-wing of his party. In the end Cameron defied the odds - surprising even himself - that he could ever increase his party's support. The Conservatives' victory means they will be able to govern without the need for a coalition or a formal agreement with other parties. There will not be so much pressure on Cameron as this is the first majority Tory government in 18 years. For the moment Cameron can savor the sweet taste of success.
