Against the background of the global financial crisis, and with the British electorate reluctant to entrust government to any single party in the 2010 general election, former first minister of Scotland Henry McLeish assesses the state of British politics and the direction parties should move in to face new challenges.In the aftermath of the 2011 Holyrood elections, McLeish suggests how a new democratic process can be shaped, and what form British politics should take in the future.