3rd January 2026

Talk of a possible future coalition government involving the Liberal Democrats has stirred unease among voters — particularly in places like Romiley where memories of the party’s last stint in power remain fresh and, for many, deeply unpleasant.

An opinion piece on a well-known Liberal Democrat forum suggests that in the event of a hung Parliament after the next general election, the party may once again have to consider joining with larger parties to form a coalition government. Liberal Democrat Voice

The piece, written by a senior party figure, argues that coalitions may be unavoidable given the fractured state of British politics, with multiple parties polling strongly and none close to an outright majority. It calls on the Lib Dems to learn from past experience and to enter future power-sharing deals more shrewdly. Liberal Democrat Voice

But for many former Lib Dem supporters across Romiley — particularly those who cast their votes for the party before 2010 — talk of “coalition as a necessity” is a grim reminder of when the party’s fortunes collapsed. After five years in government from 2010 to 2015, the Liberal Democrats suffered heavy losses, in large part because of decisions such as agreeing to raise university tuition fees despite prior pledges not to do so. libdems.org.uk

National commentators and many voters still recall that period as a serious strategic error for the party, one that saw it reduced to just a handful of MPs in the 2015 general election and triggered a long rebuilding process. libdems.org.uk

Locally, Romiley residents told the Gazette that the memory lingers — and not fondly. Their MP Andrew Stunell played a pivotal role in the party joining in the coalition.

“It’s why people trusted them less after 2015,” said one resident. “To talk about doing it again so soon… it makes people uneasy. We need clear principles, not just power-grabbing.” Another added, “If they go back into coalition and repeat the same mistakes, they’ll be punished by voters again.”

Political analysts note that coalition politics in the UK remains unpopular with the electorate at large, in part because voters often blame the junior partner when things go wrong. University College London

While some inside the party argue that cooperation across party lines is necessary in an era of more fragmented vote shares, sceptics say the Liberal Democrats need to show they won’t be overshadowed by larger partners the way they once were.

Whether this emerging debate will shape the Romiley vote — and the party’s fortunes at the next general election — remains to be seen. But for many here, the question isn’t just can the Lib Dems govern again? — it’s should they risk alienating their supporters all over again?

1. Was entering the Coalition a mistake at the time?

Not obviously. In 2010 the Lib Dems faced a hung parliament with three main options:

  • Support a minority Conservative government
  • Try (and almost certainly fail) to form a Labour-led coalition
  • Enter a formal coalition with the Conservatives

Given Labour’s exhaustion, lack of numbers, and Gordon Brown’s weak position, a Labour-Lib Dem deal was arithmetically and politically fragile. A Conservative coalition offered:

  • Stability during a financial crisis
  • Major concessions (AV referendum, pupil premium, income tax threshold rises, Lords reform pledge)

From a constitutional and short-term governing perspective, many argue it was the responsible choice. Andrew Stunell and others explicitly drew on local-government experience, where coalitions are normal and not usually fatal.

2. Why did it go so badly for the Lib Dems?

This is where it became a disaster.

a. Asymmetry of power

The Conservatives:

  • Controlled the key economic departments
  • Set the overall fiscal narrative (“deficit reduction”)
  • Could out-communicate the Lib Dems

The Lib Dems were in government but not seen as in charge, yet were blamed for unpopular decisions.

b. Tuition fees

This was catastrophic symbolically:

  • A clear pre-election pledge was broken
  • It confirmed a public narrative of betrayal
  • It alienated younger and progressive voters

Even policies the Lib Dems influenced positively were drowned out by this single issue.

c. Identity collapse

The party struggled to explain:

  • What it was for
  • What compromises were unavoidable
  • Where it differed meaningfully from the Conservatives

Voters often concluded: “Why vote Lib Dem when you can get the real thing?”

d. Electoral punishment

The result was brutal:

  • Vote share collapsed in 2015
  • MPs reduced from 57 to 8
  • Decades of local organisation wiped out

Coalition partners rarely fare well, but the Lib Dems suffered an unusually severe collapse.

3. Was it inevitable?

Not entirely, but highly likely given:

  • The UK’s majoritarian electoral system
  • The Lib Dems’ reliance on protest and tactical voters
  • Their lack of experience governing nationally

Andrew Stunell and others were not naïve about the risks, but they underestimated:

  • How unforgiving voters would be
  • How little credit junior partners receive
  • How hard it is to survive coalition without a strong tribal base

4. Verdict

So the most balanced judgement is:

  • Entering the coalition was defensible and arguably rational in 2010
  • Managing it politically was a failure
  • Electorally, it was a disaster for the Lib Dems

For figures like Andrew Stunell, the tragedy is that competent, well-intentioned governance did not translate into political survival. The coalition may have worked as a government — but it nearly destroyed one of its partners.