The laws of effective coalitions

Mr Laws’ views on better government are informative not just given his position as a Minister in the Cabinet Office and in the Department for Education, but also his central role in the 2010 coalition negotiations and transition to government. It’s no surprise that (most) Liberal Democrats are much stronger advocates of coalition than either of the two largest parties. Laws argued that the Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition has been “as effective as any single party government in my lifetime”, despite initial concerns that it would be weak and unstable. In any case the polls suggest that a single party majority looks unlikely in 2015 and most predict a hung parliament, whether a minority government or a formal coalition. This is part of a longer-term trend towards multi-party politics:

Given the likelihood of coalition governments in the future, what were Laws’ tips on making them effective? Get the negotiations right The 2010 coalition negotiations were concluded in just five days, a much quicker process than is usual elsewhere in Europe. Laws said that negotiations between parties after an election should last a little longer – but not much. Just two days more, he argued: “a week is a long time in government and it is long enough to form a government”. It is difficult to take time with negotiations when the media are camped outside your door and the public want to know who’s in charge. But in 2010 the idea of coalition government still felt novel in this country, the economic backdrop was bleaker than it is now and politicians were worried about the effects of uncertainty on financial markets. A more phased handover of power might be feasible in future. Parties can also prepare the ground before negotiations begin. As Mr Laws noted, it’s not a great negotiating position to let the other side know what your ‘red lines’ are straight away, but parties can start to get clear internally at least on which policies they are willing to compromise on. Joint working Laws hoped that the mechanisms for joint working set up since 2010 would continue in the event of another coalition. The ‘Quad’, he argued, has helped to ensure parity between the two parties and facilitated joint decision making. Comprising the Conservative Prime Minister and Chancellor, and Liberal Democrat Chief Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister, this small group negotiates ahead of big decisions like the Budget and resolves differences about domestic policy. In the early years of the coalition it met weekly. Lessons from coalition governments elsewhere suggest that such forums are necessary to help the flow of communication between coalition partners. Laws did not touch on the usefulness of joint procedures and agreements between parties. As we argued in our 2010 research into coalitions, a clear programme for government between governing parties can be extremely useful for setting out a shared policy agenda and ways of working together. To avoid becoming ‘straitjackets’ though, joint agreements do require some flexibility and should be reviewed over time. Coalition roles Finally, Laws touched on the importance of roles for coalition ministers in government and particularly the importance of having a Liberal Democrat in the position of Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Giving key roles to a smaller party is just one of the ways that a larger party in a coalition can compromise and create a sense of balance to maintain good relationships. Another step the Conservatives took to help information flow more easily, and help their junior partners wield sufficient influence across Whitehall, was to allow for more special adviser resource for the Deputy Prime Minister and in departments where the Liberal Democrats had less presence initially. Whatever your political views, love or loathe the idea of coalition government, the chances of a stable, single-party majority at the next election look slim. David Laws has provided some timely advice about how to make coalitions work.