The Coffee House A-Z of the Coalition: N-S

Here are letters N to S in our A-Z guide the coalition’s first year. A-F are here. G-M are here.

N is for No

Nothing has frayed coalition relations quite like the AV referendum has. This was always going to be the case, but the viciousness it inspired has still been fairly shocking. Need we remind you of Chris Huhne’s outburst in Cabinet last week? Or of George Osborne’s stinging riposte? Even David Cameron seems to have relished taking it out on his coalition stablemates, trashing their pet policies with a vigour that would have been unthinkable only a few months ago.

As Tim Montgomerie reveals in his exhaustive guide to the No campaign, Cameron’s firmer stance coincided with a realisation of just what he was risking. A victory for Yes, and the PM’s decision to permit a referendum would have looked like a fatal concession. Even a close victory for No might have set Tory backbenchers grumbling.