A Hung Parliament

Voters are getting used to the idea of a hung Parliament, and some are even actively wanting one:

Voters remain unconvinced by the Conservative alternative, with 29% thinking a clear Tory victory would be best. Only 18% think Britain would be best served by a strong Labour win this spring. Both groups are outnumbered by the 44% who want a hung parliament in which the government works with smaller parties such as the Liberal Democrats.

Of course, before anyone gets too excited about the voters being fully committed to a hung parliament, it has to be noted that for the past few weeks the idea of a hung parliament has been remorselessly dragged into the political spotlight by all media outlets for the last few weeks. The people are probably not buying into the idea of a hung parliament, more responding to the narrative mercilessly created and perpetuated by a media desperate to make this tedious pre-election period into something more interesting.

But I think now more than ever it is worth not only considering, but proactively selling, the idea of a hung parliament. Labour since 1997 have shown the devastation that can be wreaked on this country by a party with a large majority. Furthermore, a decent coalition - ideally between the Liberal Democrats and the Tories - would arguably be the best outcome for Libertarians like myself. The government would be severally constrained, and therefore less able to spend money and less able to encroach on our freedoms. At the same time, the Liberals would constrain the social conservatism of the Tories, while the Tories could constrain the social democracy of the Liberals. And then there's the fact that both parties agree on some key areas, like the need to abandon the ID cards schemes.

In fact, I'd actively encourage people to do what they can to help achieve a hung parliament - or, more specifically, a coalition between the Tories and the Lib Dems.