Dangerous liaisons WERE you surprised by the result of the election? If you relied on newspapers and the telly, you probably were. If you also followed social media you probably would not have been.

Our local MPs Sir Oliver Letwin and Richard Drax have said (in Saturday’s Echo) that ‘it is time to get on with governing the country’, but there are problems. Mrs May is now relying on the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in Northern Ireland.

This could cause problems for the Good Friday Agreement whereby the British Government acts as a referee between the Unionists and the Nationalists.

Even before that when John Major was struggling with a small majority he was wise enough not to rely on the DUP. Mrs May also relies on the 13 Scottish Conservative MPs.

Their leader Ruth Davidson has warned they may not be able to support May if she persists in relying on the DUP.

Mrs May will need to reach out further and to make compromises - not something she is good at. Our First Past the Post voting system does not encourage alliances.

Here in South Dorset Mr Drax enjoyed increased support, but it is one of the ironies of our First Past the Post voting system that he will thereby have less traction in Westminster; South Dorset can safely be ignored.

David Smith Weymouth