POLITICAL HEALTH WARNING: COALITION CAN KILL

Coalitions have always been popular with the more vacuous electors on the "Why can't you all work together"theory of government .Unfortunately they have never worked well and in the case of  Cameron and the stooges, been disastrous for the minor party involved which will now die a horrible death as a result of its grab for power after ninety years without it.

Yet unsurprisingly as it becomes obvious that neither of the major parties is likely to win a majority to govern after the next election the talk of coalition has suddenly revived even to the extent of  the suggestion of a Grand Coalition a la Kraut between Labour and the Tories and speculative talk about coalitions between minor parties,right down to the Unionists with either one of the majors.

Neither will happen. Everyone, even the Lib-Dems has seen the health warning "Coalition can Kill" on the liberal packet and most minors have learned the lesson.There won't be any coalitions after the next election but there may well be (indeed there could have to be)an arrangement for one or more minors to support a government provided by one of the majors in confidence and supply so as to enable government to carry on.This could be either a brief temporary arrangement to sustain government until an early second election or it could be something more substantial and longer lasting like the Lib-Lab pact of 1976 which kept Labour in power and governing well up to August 1979

So just as we used to chalk on walls LD.=CO true when we were kids, who is likely to shack up with whom? The Scot Nats will prefer Labour because though it's war to the death in Scotland they will be able to extract concessions as the Irish Nationalists did after 1910.The Libs if they lose Clegg will prefer Labour as will the Greens though Clegg has more affinity with the Tories and has liked his role as a public school fag. The unionists will prefer their old mates the Tories and will hope to get concessions in Ulster .UKIP has more affinity with the Tories with Labour being so vacuous in its Euro enthusiasm but since any incoming Labour government will face problems with the EU they may be able to give us some backbone there.

As for the big boys Cameron will shack up with anyone but Miliband and he will dither right up to the altar.Or should it be the welding shop? Anyway much fun lies ahead and even more excitement for markets.We're getting much more like Europe!