Minority and coalition government Professor Robert Hazell and Akash Paun The Constitution Unit, UCL Institute for Government 15 May 2009
Minority government 1900 -2000
UK experience of minority and coalition government • • • 20 governments in C 20 at Westminster 5 were coalition governments 5 were minority governments No experience of coalition government since 1945 Last experience of minority government 1976 -79 Minority government seen as unstable, ineffective, incoherent and undesirable
Experience in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland • Scotland Lab/Lib Dem coalition governments in 1999 and 2003 SNP minority government since 2007 • Wales Labour minority government in 1999 -2000 and 2005 -07 Labour/Lib Dem coalition 2000 -03, and 2003 -05 Labour/Plaid Cymru coalition since 2007 • Northern Ireland Compulsory power sharing coalition, with four parties Led by Ulster Unionist Party/SDLP 1999 -2002 Led by Democratic Unionists/Sinn Fein since 2007
Lessons for the Civil Service • Be prepared for inter party negotiations before new government is formed • Minority government is conducted with an eye to the next election, which might be soon • Government wants to deliver quickly. Little scope for Civil Service to amend or improve its policies • Policies need to be negotiated with other parties to get their support • Be aware of MPs with swing votes and their interests
Lessons for Parliament • Minority government strengthens Parliament vis-a-vis the Executive • Could increase prospects for parliamentary reform, but only if support parties promote that agenda • Tighter whipping likely in House of Commons • House of Lords is already chamber with no overall control. Government defeated in one third of votes in the Lords
Differences between Scottish Parliament and Westminster • No PR at Westminster • Strong majoritarian culture: government used to getting its way • Save now for hung chamber in the House of Lords • No fixed term at Westminster • Brown’s proposal to make dissolution subject to parliamentary approval
Making minority and coalition government work What needs to change, in the rules and behaviour of • The Executive, and Prime/First Minister • The Civil Service • Parliament • The political parties • The media?
For our research on minority and coalition government contact Professor Robert Hazell r. hazell@ucl. ac. uk 0044 (0)207 679 4971 Akash Paun akash. paun@instituteforgovernment. org. uk www. ucl. ac. uk/constitution-unit
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