Minority and coalition government Professor Robert Hazell and

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