LAST THURSDAY’S MAULING of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Britain has shown that a year in politics is indeed a long time. British voters in a resounding “no” to electoral reform delivered a savage blow to Nick Clegg, deputy prime minister and leader of the party.
The crushing defeat of the LDP on its deeply cherished goal has thrown into question the long-term survival of the LDP/Conservative coalition. This was the worst local election result for the party since its formation.
The issue of proportional representation always seems attractive to politically weak parties, who desperately need a less complicated alternative to get elected. It seems attractive but it preys on the ethnic, ideological or religious divisions within society and guarantees seats to marginal parties.
A common affliction of most dysfunctional governments is their political structure: nearly all have proportional representation.
While Mr Clegg might not be immediately consigned to the political “dump heap”, he is now considered “a dead man walking”. He and his party have been thrashed for their perceived betrayal of their electoral manifesto, and of their professed ideals.
It is just one year since the LDP-Conservative coalition was formed, and the strains are showing as never before. The LDP was the junior partner, but now whatever power it wielded in the cabinet has ebbed away and it has borne the brunt of public fury for the spending cuts.
The reality is that the coalition was always a marriage of convenience, and not a partnership of similar views. In the run-up to last year’s general election, the LDP vowed to hold the line on university fees.
So when the government announced that universities would be allowed to triple these charges, there was a furious outcry that spilled over into the streets. The other major grievance is over the range of spending cuts that have affected ordinary families.
Thousands have been made redundant in the public sector with few government departments untouched. Public health, housing and the police are all facing budgetary cuts.
The fact is that in the final analysis, the LDP was unable to make a case for reform: around 70 per cent of the voters did not see the point in changing a system that had been working since the early days of parliamentary democracy in Britain.
Given the balance of power, the Conservatives are in a comfortable position. They have used their LDP coalition partners as human shields as they pushed through their drastic cuts.
Should there be a split in the coalition, the Conservatives are confident they could win a clear majority in the general election that would have to be called. It is also likely that the LDP would face annihilation in early elections.
How things could change in one year!
