Peter Facey (Unlock Democracy): Today one part of North America is waking up to a new government. No, you did not miss the US Presidential election yesterday - Canada had its 40th General Election. Oh well, you may say, and go back to worrying about the banks and the race between Obama and McCain.
But Canada may actually have more things to teach us about are own political future than you think. When Stephen Harper the Conservative PM called the election the polls predicted that the Conservatives would be returned with an absolute majority. Instead Canada is waking up today to another hung parliament and its third minority government in a row. It looks like, in the midst of an economic storm, Canada decided it did not want any one party in total control.
Like Britain, Canada has a parliamentary system of government using first-past-the-post. Also like Britain, Canada has gone from two-party politics fifty years ago to a multi-party system now. The idea that, as in 1974, a hung parliament will be quickly sloughed off by calling another general election and wiping out the third party no longer applies there and is unlikely to apply here either.
On this side of the Atlantic it is likely that the large lead the Conservatives currently have in opinion polls will close as we near the general election and we may again start talking about a hung parliament. In those circumstances our party leaders could do worse than to look across the Atlantic at Canada (and to the north of the UK, to Scotland) and consider minority government rather than talk of coalition government.
If I could give a word of advice to Nick Clegg it would be to announce soon, while the spotlight is still off the Lib Dems, that they would not go into government with either Labour or the Conservatives in the result of a hung parliament, but would ensure minority government and decide issues on a vote-by-vote basis. You never know, UK voters may get a taste for minority governments too.
Canada had its lowest electoral turnout yesterday with only 58% of Canadians bothering to vote. One lesson from this election may be that, in this globalised world, many citizens in one of the world' top 8 economies appear to have felt that that there is no point in voting because their politicians have no real power to affect the things that matter in their lives. And if that's the case then we have more to worry about than minority governments.
Don't rule out minority government next parliament
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Comments
The Conservative in Canada won last time because of Liberal sleaze and corruption, rather than because people had any faith in, or love for, Harper. It's was a similar result to what I expect to happen here at the next general election.
Although Harper isn't to everyone's taste (particularly sartorial) his party have done OK and kept their noses clean, which possibly has as much to do with being a minority government as much as any high ideals.
A federal system would be easier to hold together, but a coalition government under our devolved mess would be bound to run aground over conflicts of interest. I agree with Peter that Cameron's Tories would be better off not forging any deals with the Ulster Parties, Lib Dems or the SNP, if not for the sake of the union then for the sake of our faith in political integrity.
Why do Britain and Canada opt for minority governments? Coalitions are commonplace in Germany and much of Europe and, of course, Israel. It seems to me more efficient to negotiate a coalition government, than to build a separate coalition for each issue.
As to the earlier comment about federal systems, Germany has such a system, and they manage coalition government (albeit not without little difficulties now and then).
"Canada had its lowest electoral turnout yesterday with only 58% of Canadians bothering to vote. One lesson from this election may be that, in this globalised world, many citizens in one of the world' top 8 economies appear to have felt that that there is no point in voting because their politicians have no real power to affect the things that matter in their lives."
Or, maybe, because the parties are becoming increasingly homogenous - moving to more market-based neo-liberal 'solutions' (even as the limits of markets are being spectacularly exposed)? FPTP also renders many people's votes redundant.
By the way, we've had a minority govt. since the war - it's just the fantasy world of FPTP parliamentary majorities gained with ever-shrinking minority votes that has corrupted the discourse.
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