Podcast #25: The failing coalition experiment

A bit of a bold headline, perhaps? Not when you hear the considered views of the panel of experts we've got lined up for this week's podcasts. Not only are both political parties in the coalition miserable but the public also seem mightily unimpressed by this new way of working.

The question then becomes whether the situation can be repaired. There are practical steps to be taken which would increase the chances of the coalition surviving its full five years. There's also a need for a culture change, though, which seems far less likely. Neither journalists nor voters are likely to accept the changing dynamics of coalition all at once – it's just not in our political culture. And that, for the current government, is a big problem.

The truth is that two years after those heady days in May 2010, the coalition is entering a very difficult phase. What happens in the next 12 months – especially the fate of Lords reform, viewed as critical by the Liberal Democrats – is going to play a big part in determining how likely the coalition can hold together when the midgame turns into the endgame. We might have been convinced that the coalition could work effectively. But as the 2015 general election draws ever closer, things are going to change.