I’m sure many of us remember the coalition government of 2010 to 2015 between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, and, if like me, you remember it very fondly. I remember the coalition government representing a more modern, and progressive type of politics. Two parties who don’t have that much in common chose to work together for the good of the country; though this was primarily due to the fact that neither party won an absolute majority.
Recent political developments in the last few months have made me realise that the coalition was what we needed, and it’s what we need now.
Coalition governments are quite rare in British politics, before 2010 the only coalition government was the Churchill War Ministry of 1940 to 1945 as a result of the Second World War. Aside from this, coalitions just didn’t happen as most people often voted for either Labour or the Conservatives. For the most part of the Twentieth Century, both Labour and the Conservatives had vastly different agendas and one could easily tell them apart. Nowadays that isn’t so clear. I’m not one of those to say “they’re all the same” because that is a ludicrous statement to make. I am simply saying that both parties have split.
This has definitely become much more apparent in the last year or so with the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party, as well as the referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union. The election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader was the first time in a while that Labour had elected a candidate who was far more left than previous leaders, particularly Tony Blair and Gordon Brown during new Labour who had sought to modernise the Labour party by creating a ‘Third Way’. Tony Blair’slegacy on the Labour Party has meant that it is now split between those who support the centrist ‘third way’ position of trying to reconcile left-wing social policies with right-wing economic policies; often referred to as ‘Blairites’. On the other side of the party however, we have those who follow Corbyn’s more socialist position of anti-austerity and social democracy.
In addition to this, the Conservative Party are also guilty of arguing amongst themselves. Up until the start of the Twenty-first Century, the Conservative Party and its leaders were always firmly on the right of the spectrum, particularly on issues of welfare, immigration, and Europe. The election of William Hague in 1997 somewhat changed that, as Hague had sought to modernise the party after it had been dubbed ‘the nasty party’. This was however flawed has Labour would stay in power for another thirteen years. In 2005 the Conservative Party elected David Cameron, a young MP who sought to modernise the party, giving it a more liberal and Pro EU stance. This was successful as Cameron was then elected as Prime Minister on the 6th May 2010. I have often agreed with Cameron’s liberal conservative policies, believing it to be the best ideology. This is not something shared in the party. Much like the Labour Party, the Conservatives are split between those on the liberal, Pro EU wing; and the more nationalist, Eurosceptic wing. These splits between the two main parties have, in recent weeks, called for a complete revamp of the political system.
I never used to be fan of coalitions, or even proportional representation, I was always content with how things were. However, I am always open to change my ideas if evidence is presented to me. The evidence of the past few months, the split in parties as well as the rise in popularity of other political parties. Most notably UKIP, the SNP, Plaid Cymru, and the Liberal Democrats means that the United Kingdom is no longer a two-party system. If Britain were still a two-party system, then First Past the Post (FPTP) voting system would have been the appropriate choice as the electorate would vote either one party or the other. Recently however, the rise of other parties and the possible break up of Labour and the Conservatives strengthens the argument for Proportional Representation (PR) meaning that divisions in an electorate are reflected proportionately in an elected body; 30% of the vote would mean 30% of the seats. This was highlighted in the last general election as the number of seats taken by each party did not reflect their share of the vote.
Now, some may argue that coalitions and PR never work, that the parties will just bicker and that nothing will ever get done. However, living in Germany and learning about its political system has proved that it does work and that it has worked since 1953.For the most part of the 20th century and the 21st Century, Germany has known coalition governments as no party has been able to gain an absolute majority in the Bundestag. The current German coalition under Chancellor Angela Merkel is a coalition between the Christian Democratic Union (Angela Merkel), the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (Horst Seehofer), and the Social Democratic Party (Sigmar Gabriel). Three parties, each with distinct and often conflicting ideologies, choosing to come together to work for the people of Germany.
Germany’s example has inspired me that proportional representation must be implemented to accommodate for the changing political landscape and for the need for new parties to form and to come together in coalitions. This is the only way to end what seems like constant bickering between parties who can’t even agree amongst themselves, let alone with each other. I understand this is not something that will be implemented with immediate effect, however it is definitely a future prospect for the ever-changing landscape of British politics.
Coffee and Critique 