Legitimacy
There are fifty nine Westminster seats contested in Scotland. The Liberal Democrats hold eleven seats with 18.9% of the vote; the Conservatives hold a single seat with 16.7% of the vote. Together the coalition government gained 35.6% of the Scottish vote.
In 2005 Labour formed a government with 35.3% of the vote across the UK.
In 2005 Labour formed a government with 35.3% of the vote across the UK.
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Of course, I'm also in favour of making voting compulsary (in the Australian fashion) with a fine for failure to exercise it (even if it comes in as a 'none of the above').
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If this is the start of sensible coalition politics then I welcome it. I just hope it lasts.
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Maybe adding benefits for voters would be a good compromise? Perhaps government and council services should only be available to those who bother to turn out at elections. If you want to use a job centre, swimming pool, or library, make sure you turn out to vote! (Actually that might appeal to immigrant-obsessed Labour voters and Daily Mail readers!)
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Voting is a duty- it's part of the price we pay for the benefits of representation. Hence why I voted in a constituency where really my vote is entirely irrelevant!
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People could get pretty bored of having to vote in elections in which they have no interest.
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I think there would also have been a wider, more divisive issue: with the SNP and Plaid Cymru in a coalition, with the stated aim of preserving funding for Scotland and Wales, the special deals involved ('pork barrel politics') would have fostered resentment in England, and perhaps done major damage to English voters' readiness to accept coalition government.
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Now, the Scots Labour MPs may well have objected (I'd have been surprised if they hadn't), but a well run Whips department can usually keep that sort of thing under control, with a mixture of threats and bribes!