How unusual is the United Kingdom Coalition (and what are the chances of it happening again)?

Charles Lees

OAI: oai:purehost.bath.ac.uk:publications/ec2e70a6-9b2d-4d18-89d7-6443dfbea969 • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-923X.2011.02192.x

This article draws upon insights from theoretical and empirical studies of coalition behaviour in multiparty politics to examine the formation of the United Kingdom coalition following the general election of 6 May 2010. It argues that the formation of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition is not unusual in historical terms or in the context of contemporary European politics; and that although it is a break from the more recent pattern of postwar British politics it nevertheless does conform to expectations in the light of the coalition literature. The article also provides a comparative analysis of the impact of Britain's ‘First-Past-The-Post’ (FPTP) electoral system on party competition and an examination of the performance of the Alternative Vote (AV) system and argues that if the United Kingdom retains FPTP then a return to single-party government in 2015 is highly likely; and it is not inevitable that the introduction of AV would significantly advantage the Liberal Democrats.