[Magdalen] Political systems (was Re: Listmeet report)

[Roger Stokes]

On 19/12/2015 20:56, M J _Mike_ Logsdon wrote:
>>>> It is indeed a privilege to know people in this group, and I have met a
> number of you in the flesh and may meet more next year.  I know that UK
> politics may not be as polarised as US politics is but I know that a
> number of people I meet regularly over here do not share my political
> views.  I don't let that get in the way of our friendship.<<<
>
> Maybe if we had the opportunity (or the obligation?) to actually cobble together coalition gov'ts like you guys do, we'd stand a better chance of not imploding as a nation.  (We've worked together very well over the generations; but to formally coalesce each side into a single gov't for the good of the people ...wooh.)

The UK is not as good as other parts of Europe in forming coalition 
governments because we have two major parties.  We had a coalition 
2010-2015 because no single party had sufficient seats in the House of 
Commons to form a majority so the Conservatives and the Liberal 
Democrats formed a coalition.  The Conservatives ruled that roost and 
the Liberal Democrats paid the price in the 2015 General Election 
falling to being the fourth party in the Commons after the Scottish 
National Party.  The polls had suggested an even more complex situation 
after that election but the result was another instance that brought the 
value of polling into question.

That said, I agree that there is much to be said in favour of systems 
that favour coalition governments where individual policies can be 
discussed and voted upon rather than accepting a basket of policies and 
the party that has the most seats saying "we have a mandate" even if 
more people voted against rather than for them. (Typically a UK 
government has about 40% of the populkar vote.) I think that the lure of 
the appearance of power tempted the Liberal Democrats in 2010 and I 
think they would have been better going into a supply and confidence 
arrangement with the Conservatives, agreeing not to pass an agreed 
budget and to vote for them if there was a motion about confidence in 
the government.  In that way they would not have sold their soul and 
paid the price 5 years later.

Roger