6. Political Reform
The parties agree to the establishment of five year fixed-term parliaments. A Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government will put a binding motion before the House of Commons in the first days following this agreement stating that the next general election will be held on the first Thursday of May 2015. Following this motion, legislation will be brought forward to make provision for fixed term parliaments of five years. This legislation will also provide for dissolution if 55% or more of the House votes in favour.
I feel that a no-confidence vote is a proxy for having enough support to pass legislation. I would like to know what happens if a government only commands 46% of the votes in the House. They will not be able to go, but they wont have any ability to legislate.
ETA - BBC “The Lib Dems have called a special conference on Sunday to allow their membership to vote on the coalition agreement. It’s already been approved by the powers at the top, but in a statement the Lib Dems say they “remain a democratic party, and we believe it is right to consult our membership on this momentous occasion in our party’s history”.
It remains to be seen whether the Lib Dem rank and file will vote for this