Ahead of the second Queen’s Speech tomorrow it is worth reflecting on what coalition government has meant for British politics.
It has resulted in a stability and certainty in Government which as I recall was one of the Prime Minister’s principal reasons for going down this road. But stability has come at a price. I do not just mean the fact that many Government backbenchers feel their views are being ignored and preference is being given to the Liberal Democrats the general public are not bothered about the sensibilities of backbenchers but they are extremely worried about the trust they feel they can place in politicians.
The fundamental problem with coalition government is that voters finish up with a menu of policies some of which were not on offer at the time of the general election and which no one voted for. M.P.’s are asked time and time again to vote for measures they do not agree with either wholly or in part. It is dishonest and there is no wonder electors continue to refuse to turnout and vote in elections in such large numbers they simply do not trust politicians.
Finally it would be remiss of me not to commiserate with the losing candidates from Thursday’s local elections and congratulate the winners. Not a good night for the Conservatives but an even worse night for the health of our democracy.
