Politics: Westminster just isn’t built for coalitions

The Liberal Democrats’ current problems can be traced back to 28 October 1943.

The Liberal Democrats’ current problems can be traced back to 28 October 1943. On that day, the House of Commons decided that the bombed Commons chamber should be rebuilt and its oblong structure preserved. This ensured that the British tradition of confrontational politics — and with it the pull towards a two-party system — would continue into the post-war era.

Winston Churchill understood what was at stake in the debate. He knew that ‘we shape our buildings, and our buildings shape us’. As he told the House, the chamber’s shape ‘is a very potent factor in our political life’. It is what ensures that we have a party system, with a government on one side and an opposition on the other.

There were those who disagreed with Churchill. Viscountess Astor appealed for a circular chamber on the grounds that she hoped the country was about to enter into a ‘more reasonable age’.