This country’s not used to coalitions. So when we got one we were sceptical. When it
worked, we remained sceptical. When it worked really well, taking decisions that a majority Labour government dared not take, we began to come around to the idea. Most people seemed to accept that
they could live with a coalition; that it had a certain utility.
Now, we don’t know what to think following the spat between George Osborne and Chris Huhne. Is this proof that the coalition cannot work or merely an example of the way coalitions work? There are certainly worse examples of inter-coalition war in countries that often have coalition governments. German Economy Minister Rainer Brüderle was riled at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos when the then Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg had breakfast with 20 economic leaders.
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