What was billed continuously in the media as the tightest election in generations became almost a walkover for the Tories. And you can blame the opinion polls.
Faced with an uncertain and weak cobbled together coalition government, the UK voted intelligently choosing the devil you know rather than a possible outcome they didn't know. Oddly enough it was shortly after VE day 1945 that the Tories most honoured Prime Minister Winston Churchill lost to
Labour's Clement Attlee. No such luck for Labour's hapless Ed Miliband, whose youthful exuberance was no substitute for the seasoned success of a Tory lead government that has taken the UK back from economic hard times to new heights in the course of one term.
Getting back to the polls, which were big losers on paper, they proved a blessing in disguise for the Tories. In the event, only two predictions seemed to be fairly accurate: A disaster for the Liberal-Democrats and an overwhelming victory for the Scottish Nationalists.
But overall, after weeks of being media brainwashing about the mystery coalition to come in a razor thin election, the voters decided such an outcome wouldn't make for good government. This, coupled with David Cameron's verbal strength on camera and his record in office against Miliband's rather lightweight performance and the possibility of economic reversal under his leadership, or lack of it, was the deal maker for the Tories. All Cameron had to do was promote his record and the uncertain future the polls predicted. He was simply saying the adage: Don't fix something unless it's broken.
Yet, this should tell the population about the strength of opinion polls in moulding or changing opinion. Would the outcome have been so resounding had there been no polls predicting the tightest race in generations? Would voters have been less worried about a weak and uncertain government? It's difficult to deny the daily carping in the news media and in election broadcasts about the coming multi party coalition and the power the Scottish Nationalists would have in a Labour coalition, made an impact on voters.
Faced with such an uncertain future, the country voted for stability and more Tory promises, such as a Euro referendum. Now, time will tell if Cameron will keep his promises.