EDITORIAL: Britain's historic vote

The historic decision to establish the first coalition government in postwar Britain was made by two young political leaders.

Both David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party that came to power in the general elections, and Nick Clegg, who heads the Liberal Democrats, its junior coalition partner and the third-largest party, are 43. The two men who battled fiercely in televised debates between party leaders have now joined hands as prime minister and deputy prime minister to change the history of British politics.

In the general elections, none of the parties was able to clinch a majority in the House of Commons, leaving a "hung," or indecisive Parliament. The two parties had no choice but to form a coalition. The two major parties, the Conservatives and the Labor Party together gained only between 60 and 70 percent of the votes--the lowest share in postwar Britain.

What does this mean?

Two major parties campaigned as if their policies were in sharp conflict with each other. In Britain's single-seat constituency system, voters were forced to choose between the two. The outcome of the elections shows that such a style of politics no longer suits British society.

Since the 1990s, when the era of two clashing ideologies ended, there has been a runup to an age of coalition. The Labor government under Tony Blair emerged in 1997 under the banner of "The Third Way," aiming to unite the two concepts of freedom and fairness and promote the advancement of privatization and deregulation.

Thirteen years later, the Labor Party's Third Way has firmly taken root.

Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats remain committed to making those two ideas work together. The fact that the two parties were able to reach a deal on such important issues as the reduction of budget deficits, medicine and education shows that the differences in their policies are not fundamental.

The public wants the parties to adjust their subtle differences, tap various expectations that voters entrusted to different parties and reflect them in policy. The coalition government needs to accept this as the popular will.

However, the coalition government is expected to face difficulties.

We plan to keep a careful eye on the future of election system reform in Britain.

In talks prior to forming the coalition, the Liberal Democrats won a promise from the Conservatives to hold a referendum on the idea of adopting an electoral system that incorporates elements of proportional representation.

If the people want a new style of politics, such reforms cannot be avoided. Prime Minister Cameron is urged to win over opponents within his party and destroy the shell of old-style politics.

Although Britain is a member of the European Union, it also attaches importance to maintaining "a special relationship" with the United States. During the Iraq war, the Blair-led Labor government supported the U.S. administration of George W. Bush, choosing a different route from that of European countries such as France and Germany. This decision contributed to the growing presence of the Liberal Democrats, which opposed the war.

The Liberal Democrats are also pro-EU. How to rethink Britain's relationships with the United States and the EU will be an important part of the coalition government's agenda.

Last year, politics in Japan reached a major turning point. The Democratic Party of Japan, now in power, modeled itself after British politics. But Britain is itself seeking to change its own political culture. We should pay careful attention to how that goes.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 13