The 2010 general election plunged the UK government into turmoil as it faced a hung Parliament and negotiations took place about forming a coalition. Read our Post-Election Survey Report to see what your peers thought about the recent series of events – and consider how it might apply to the leadership of your own company. If the balance of power were to shift within your organisation, through a merger or acquisition for example, is this how the workforce might be feeling? Our survey points to the importance of firm leadership and explores the debate around power-sharing.
By Helen Winsor
The UK’s 2010 general election was among the most gripping experienced by the country in years: as the results to the election were counted, it became clear that the UK was contending with its first hung Parliament since 1974. The Labour Party lost its stronghold, but although David Cameron’s Conservatives came through with the highest proportion of seats in Parliament, they didn’t win enough seats to secure an outright majority.
So would the Conservatives move boldly forwards as a minority government – or might they – or the Labour Party – agree to negotiate a Liberal Democrat-aided coalition? In the fraught aftermath to the election, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg held discussions with Cameron, before moving on for talks with the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown. On the fourth day of charged negotiations, Brown offered to resign as part of a Liberal-Labour pact, and on day five a Conservative-Liberal Democrat alliance was forged, propelling Cameron into the position of Prime Minister with Clegg as his deputy.
So what would this mean for the UK? In the days following the election as events unfolded, IQPC’s Post-Election Survey 2010 gauged opinion across the UK. We asked respondents how they thought a minority government would impact the UK economy until the event of a second election later in the year, and also whether they thought a coalition government set-up could work.
Of those surveyed by IQPC, 80.3% voted in this year’s election. Of the 19.7% who did not vote, approximately half were ineligible but about half did not vote on grounds of dissatisfaction with all parties, disinterest, not being registered or not receiving their polling card.
A hung Parliament?
The majority of respondents, a sizeable 57.7%, believed a hung Parliament to be a bad predicament for the UK, while 26.8% considered it to be a good thing. There was also uncertainty among 15.5% of those surveyed, who said they did not know whether a hung Parliament would be positive or negative for the UK.
A clear leader?
There was strong opinion (81.7% of respondents) that a clear leader must be decided on in order to see the UK through the global economic crisis which struck in late-2007. At the time of the election, the country had begun to show signs of recovery from the recession which took hold in the final quarter of 2008, but the survey identifies public fear that this progress could be hindered – or worse – reversed without a clear leader in Parliament.
Formation of a coalition?
Opinion on the formation of a coalition government was less clear-cut. Almost half of respondents (46.5%) said they would support a coalition government, 31% said they would not support a coalition, while 22.5% were uncertain as to where they stood on this outcome. In terms of coalition preferences, the most favoured combination was for a Labour/Liberal Democrat partnership (about 30%), with 10% expressing a preference for a Conservative/Liberal Democrat partnership.
Back to the polls?
In the eventuality of Parliament being unable to agree on a coalition, the next step of the process would have been to send the UK back to the polls. Of those surveyed, a significant 81.7% said they would repeat their vote if this were to happen, while interestingly, 7% indicated they would cast a different, tactical vote. The remainder said they would not vote due to ineligibility or continued disinterest.
Reforming the voting system
Finally, we asked whether the UK voting system needs to change. The UK’s ‘first-past-the-post’ system relies on single-member constituencies, which many people believe can lead to disproportionate results. Approximately two-thirds of the UK’s seats are deemed ‘safe’ because one party has a huge majority within its constituency and automatically wins, so votes for other parties are unlikely to make a difference.
Different voting systems are used elsewhere in the world, however, such as the single transferable vote or alternative voting, which combine voter choice, proportionality, and a constituency link in different amounts. The survey results suggest considerable demand for electoral reform – with a substantial 62% of respondents advocating the need for change and only 28.2% expressing satisfaction with the system as it stands.
Overall, the survey findings indicate a largely pessimistic stance towards the hung Parliament predicament. Furthermore, there was not overwhelming confidence in the effectiveness of a coalition, with only about half of respondents in favour of a government with no outright leader. All of this points towards substantial disaffection with the UK voting system and demand for reform to prevent this type of situation from recurring at future general elections.
As part of their pact, the Conservatives have offered the Liberal Democrats a referendum on changing the electoral system to the alternative vote - so time will tell whether the electorate votes for change when it returns to the polling booths later this year.
Leadership lessons
Mergers, acquisitions and business transformation initiatives frequently shake up the power balance within companies and organisations. So what can business leaders learn from the events of the UK general election? The key message of our Post-Election Survey 2010 is the importance, in the event of any power shift, of retaining strong direction from the top, together with confidence across the wider organisation.
Find out more about leadership best practice at our forthcoming Lean Leaders events:
- Lean Leaders Meeting 2010 at CCT, Canary Wharf in London, from July 5th - 6th.
Download the Brochure: www.leaders-in-lean.com
- H-PIN Annual General Meeting 2010 in Chicago IL, from September 29th - October 1st.
Download the Brochure: www.h-pin.net
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