Rob Wilson's Westminster Diary, May 27, 2010
Rob Wilson MP • Published 27 May 2010 12:00
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A DRAMATIC few weeks, but before I get into that let me first sincerely thank my constituents for returning me as their Member of Parliament with a hugely increased majority.
It continues to be an enormous privilege to serve Reading East.
When the result became clear my first instinct was not 'let's have a coalition with the Liberals'. I expected we would form a minority administration and get on with our manifesto commitments. After all, why would a predominantly left wing party want to do a deal with us?
It had always been clear to me that the Liberals wanted a realignment of the left alongside Labour. It hadn't even entered my head that they would consider a deal with us!
However, David Cameron had other ideas and decided on a bold approach that could provide stable Government in troubled times. It was an extraordinarily audacious move and, to be fair, met with resistance from both sides. Not least, because it is a huge risk for both parties, although more so for a third party.
The outcome is likely to be a squeeze from the left and right and a much smaller party in future elections.
The gamble for the Liberals must be that they win a referendum to change the voting system. However, I doubt they will. The majority will not want horse trading behind closed doors to become the norm in politics.
Most electors still want a decisive result, where they get the policies they voted for, not a trade-off.
One of the unique features of this election is that nobody voted for what turned up in The Queen's Speech. At best they got bits of what they voted for, but at least in a first past the post system this is highly unusual.
One of the features of a proportional system, where a clear result is rare, is that manifestos and policies mean little because the real negotiation only takes place after the vote. Nobody knows what they will end up with - a highly undemocratic state of affairs!
Yet, as a one-off during an economic catastrophe this national coalition must be given goodwill and a fair wind to succeed. With the euro teetering on the brink, and another banking disaster looming, a stable coalition is probably better than unstable minority rule. A combination of world events and Labour leaving a terrible financial mess means that this Government has the worst inheritance in the past 60 years - worse even than what Margaret Thatcher inherited.
It will take time and enormous goodwill to sort it out. We will soon see if we have it, but I will do my bit to make it work.
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