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TIME1

BritishVotersSwingtoTories,butMajorityIsinDoubt

DavidMoir/Reuters

PrimeMinisterGordonBrownofBritainarrivedwithhiswife,Sarah,atapollingstationinNorthQueensferryinFife,ScotlandonThursday.MorePhotos»

LONDON—Afteroneofthemostpassionatelycontestedelectionsindecades,votersinBritainwenttothepollsonThursdayandappearedtohaveswungsharply,thoughnotnecessarilydecisively,againsttherulingLabourParty.

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∙AsBritainVotes,EconomicCloudsHover（May6,2010）

∙TimesTopics:

GordonBrown|DavidCameron|NickClegg

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AndrewTestaforTheNewYorkTimes

VoteswerecountedonThursdayinLondon.TheConservativesarehopingtowinenoughseatstoobtainanoutrightmajority.MorePhotos»

Earlyresultsfrom650HouseofCommonsconstituenciesacrossthecountrypointedtoastrongperformancebytheoppositionConservativeParty,ledbyDavidCameron,thoughthesizeoftheincreaseintheConservativevoteraiseddoubtsabouttheparty’sabilitytowinthemajorityneededtobesureofregainingpowerafter13yearsofLabourcontrol.

WhatseemedsurewasthattheConservativeswouldwinthelargestnumberofseats,probablydozensmorethanLabour,withthethirdparty,theleft-of-centerLiberalDemocrats,trailinginthird.Butwithoutamajority,Mr.Cameron—andthecountry—couldbeheadingfordaysofagonizinguncertaintyasthetwomainpartiessetabouttryingtooutmaneuvereachotherforpower.

ThefirstresultsannouncedshowedasharpswingfromLabourtotheConservativesinseatsinnorthernEnglandthathadbeenLabourstrongholdsfordecades.EarlyreturnsfromcentralandsouthernEnglandsuggestedasimilarlystrongshifttotheConservatives—inonecaseofmorethan9percent—thatsomeanalystssaidpointedtothepossibilityofaclearConservativemajority.

Pollstershadsaidbeforethevotethatanationwideswingof7percentintheConservatives’favormightbeenoughforaslimmajority.ThevotecountshowedaswingtotheConservativesthatrangedfrom5to11percent.

ButpowerfulfiguresintheLabourPartylostnotimeinsettingoutarationaleforhangingontopower,evenifthepartyfinishedfarbehindtheConservativesinthenumbersofCommonsseats.PeterMandelson,aninfluentialcabinetcolleagueofPrimeMinisterGordonBrownandLabour’schiefpoliticalstrategist,saidthatLabourhad“therighttoseektoformagovernment”byseekingsupportfromotherpartiesiftheConservativesfellshortofamajority.

ThatpointedtoabidbyLabourtoformacoalition,orsomeotherarrangement,withtheLiberalDemocrats.Butearlyreturnssuggestedthatthepre-electionpollsurgeregisteredbyNickClegg,theLiberalDemocrats’leader,hadnottranslatedintovotes,atleastnotonanythinglikethescalemanycommentatorshadforecast.ThatposedaproblemforLabour,sinceashowingbyLiberalDemocratsthatproducedonlyasmanyseats,62,astheywonin2005,orperhapssomewhatmore,mightleaveLabourandtheLiberalDemocratscombinedwithbarelyasmanyseatsastheConservatives.

InwhatappearedtobeanopeningbidfortheLiberalDemocrats’support,Mr.MandelsonsaidthatafairervotingsystemshouldreplacetheexistingonethatresultedinsmallerpartiesliketheLiberalDemocratsgenerallywinningfarfewerseats,proportionally,thanpopularvoteshare.Mr.Clegghassaidthatashifttoanothervotingsystemfairertosmallpartieswillbeanon-negotiabledemandinpost-electiondiscussionswithLabourandtheConservatives.

TheLabourattitudeoutragedleadingConservatives.“TheideaofGordonBrownhangingontopower,afterbeingsodecisivelyrejected,isfranklyshocking,”saidGeorgeOsborne,whoasshadowchancelloroftheExchequerwouldassumemanagementofBritain’sbatteredeconomyintheeventoftheConservatives’takingpower.CitingtheplungeinsharepricesonWallStreetonThursday,Mr.Osbornesaid“Britainwillneedastableandresponsiblegovernment”inthechoppymonthsaheadfortheBritisheconomy,notafragilecoalitionledbyapartythathadfaced“amassiverejection”atthepolls.

AlthoughBritishelectioncampaignslastbarelyamonth,afractionofthetimethatittakestoelectanAmericanpresident,votecountingcanbeaprotracted,through-the-nightaffair,asintheUnitedStates.

ElectionexpertssaidaclearpictureoftheoverallseatcountwouldprobablynotbeavailablemuchbeforedawninBritainonFriday,andthatinaclosefinishbetweenthetwoparties,resultsfromsomeoutlyingareas,suchasdistantpartsofScotland,couldtakemuchlonger.

Onecount,inNorthernIreland,wassuspendedbecauseofabombscare,areminderofthedecadesofsectarianviolencethatragedbeforetheGoodFridaypeaceagreementof1998thattheLabourgovernmentcountsasoneofitsmajorachievements.Inotherseats,votersthreatenedlegalchallengesafterofficialsshutthedoorsatpollingstationswithhundredsofangryvotersstillwaitinginline.TheBBCreportedthatthenationalturnoutappearedtohavebeensubstantiallyhigherthaninthelastelection,in2005,whenbarely60percentofanelectorateofabout45millionpeoplecastballots.

ConservativehopesofformingamajoritygovernmentwerebolsteredbytheprospectofgainingthesupportofasmanyasninemembersofParliamentlikelytowinseatsforthemainlyProtestantunionistpartiesinNorthernIreland.

ButiftheConservativesfailtoobtainamajority,therecouldbeabitter,behind-the-scenesstruggleforthekeysto10DowningStreet.Mr.Brown,at59,waited10yearstosucceedMr.Blairasprimeministerin2007,andhassurvivedseveralattemptsbycabalsofseniorLabourfigurestoousthimaspartyleader,refusingtoquitevenwhensomeofhisclosestcabinetassociatesdesertedhim.

Agritty,oftengrumpyandoccasionallyself-righteousman,proudofthedoggedpersistenceandstrictadherencetoprinciplehesaysheinheritedasthesonofaScottishPresbyterianminister,hehascasthimselfasthemanwhosavedBritainfromeconomicdisasterwithaKeynesianprogramthatpumpedtensofbillionsofpoundsintosavingBritain’sbanksandhadtheBankofEnglandchanneltensofbillionsmoreintoproppingupthewidereconomy.Ineffect,hehasputhimselfforwardastheindispensableman.

ButahungParliament,withnopartysecuringaclearmajority,couldtesttheprinciplesofallthecontenders,andriskfurtheralienatinganelectoratealreadydeeplydistrustfulofpoliticiansasaresultofascandaloverparliamentaryexpenseslastyearthatshowedscoresofmembersofParliamentenrichingthemselveswithdubiousclaims.

IfLabourhasalreadysignaleditswillingnesstobarteranewvotingsystemasthepriceofwinningtheLiberalDemocrats’support,theConservativesaresaidtobeweighingthepossibilityofassuringunionistsinNorthernIrelandnottomakea$300millioncutingovernmentsubsidiesmootedaspartofaConservativeprogramtocutBritain’srecord-highlevelsofdebt.

JohnF.BurnsreportedfromLondon,andAlanCowellfromParis

Babies

FocusFeatures

Ponijao,right,isoneoffourbabiesfeaturedinthedocumentary“Babies.”

May7,2010

Who’saGoodBaby?

ByA.O.SCOTT

Published:

May7,2010

TheFrenchglobe-trottingdocumentarianThomasBalmèshastakenupadelicateandtreacherousassignmentinhisnewfilm.Fanningoutaroundtheworld—totheplainsofMongolia,thedustygrasslandsofNamibia,thehighrisesofTokyoandthestreetsofSanFrancisco—Mr.Balmèsandhiscrewsetout,aboutthreeyearsago,toprobeanetworkofmysteriouscreatureswhospeakacommonidiombarelycomprehensibletotherestofus.Thefilm’ssubjectsarehardtounderstandandnearlyimpossibletoresist.Theyprojectweaknessandinnocence,yettheyalsopossessalmostterrifyingpowers.Andtheyarejustsogosh-darncute!

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BabiesandBeyond

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AllBurblesandGurglesasLifeUnfolds（May9,2010）

Frankly,it’shardtoknowjustwhattosayabout“Babies,”whichepisodicallychroniclesthefirstyearinthelivesoffourfar-flunginfants.“Awwwwww”wouldbeastartandwillnodoubtbethesoundyouhearmostfrequentlyfromthepatronsaroundyou,alongwithanoccasional“ewwww,”astraygaspofconcernordisapproval—youknowhowanxiousandjudgmentalparentscanbe—andintermittentlaughter.Ifyouhavereadanychild-rearingmanuals（orjuststaredguiltilyatabedsidestackofthemwhiledraggingyourselftowardthesquallingbundleofwee-hoursneedinthenextroom）,“Babies”maybebothapuzzleandarelief.

Itoffersnoadviceoranalysis,notalking-headruminationorvoice-overexplanation.Theoccasionalsnippetsofgrown-updialoguearenotaccompaniedbysubtitles,whichwouldbesuperfluousinanycase.（Butwouldn’tyoulovetoknowhowtocoo“who’sagoodbaby?

”inMongolian?

）“Babies”isexactlywhatitstitlepromises.It’sbabies.Andifyoulovebabiesyouwillfinditveryhardnottolove“Babies.”

Isitthatsimple?

Imean,whodoesn’tlovebabies?

Whyisn’tthisjustasmatteringofYouTubevideos（“BabyPullsCat’sTail,”“BabyEatsBanana,”etc.）stitchedtogetherintoafeaturefilmandaccompaniedbyapeppymusicalscore?

That’skindofwhatitis,buttheutteraccessibilityofthemovie—evenbabieswillenjoywatching“Babies”!

—resultsasmuchfromMr.Balmès’scannyformalintelligenceasf