The British electorate speaks with forked tongue


Indecisive outcomes are periodic features of the Westminster model, even though the plurality (first-past-the-post) system is custom-made to secure a single-party majority. Hung parliaments occurred in the 1970s, for example, always resulting in short-lived governments and new elections. For the most part, such hung parliaments have been accidental consequences of close-run competition between the two major political parties, each driven by significantly differing political philosophies. The 2010 Election differs sharply from this model, for reasons that I must explain.



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