Think Yourself lucky this ain't Holland!

[R1Geezer]

http://news.bbc.co.uk...tion_2010/8675063.stm
we'd be at it for months!

[olddutch]

Oi Geezer - no system perfect but it generally works very well in Holland


BBC article says

“It's absolutely normal, from a Dutch perspective, for parties to drive a hard bargain to get as many of their policies as possible into the programme of the new coalition government.

Dutch coalitions usually last for years... though one in 2002 fell after 87 days
What is less normal is to have a party, like the Liberal Democrats in this case, in a position of so much power that it can make the difference between stable government and chaos. That is because, in the Dutch political system, there are always several coalition possibilities.

There is also less likelihood of a party holding simultaneous negotiations with the two biggest parties - so less scope for allegations of double-crossing.

In the Netherlands, the Queen, with the help of a trusted adviser, asks a party leader to try to form a government - usually the leader of the biggest party in parliament. If he fails, the leader of the next biggest party would normally be approached.

We've also had a purple coalition, between Labour, Conservative Liberals (VVD) and Liberal Democrats - parties from the left, right and centre - which ran the country very successfully from 1994 -2002.

It was able to take difficult decisions, such as legalising assisted suicide and privatising state-owned companies, because it's easier to introduce controversial or painful policies when parties from both right and left do it together. “

Lets hope Cameron and Clegg working together with Vince Cable as Chancellor can bring stability, fairness and minimal economic pain whilst we work through reducing national debt.


Steve

Watch it - Dutch got very nice cheese and tulips too !