I only follow you since a few months and quite like your approach, yet on this one - consensus democracy - I either misunderstood what you say/wrote in the newsletter or it is simply false: e.g. in Austria there have been single-party majority governments (e.g., ÖVP in 1966; SPÖ majorities in the 1970s). In Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Belgium, coalitions are usually necessary because of proportional representation and fragmented party systems (and in Belgium also language-balance rules), but coalitions are not legally mandatory—it’s a political reality, not a constitutional requirement. Same applies to Germany, it’s quite some time ago there was a single-party majority. Yet obviously your observation of what coalitions mean to democracy feel/seem right to me.
You're right—I overstated the institutional piece. 'Mandatory' was imprecise; coalitions are a practical reality of proportional representation, not a legal requirement. And Austria's single-party governments under Kreisky are a fair counterexample. The cultural argument still applies—these societies tend toward consensus even when majorities exist—but I should have been more careful with the institutional claims. Thanks for the correction.
I only follow you since a few months and quite like your approach, yet on this one - consensus democracy - I either misunderstood what you say/wrote in the newsletter or it is simply false: e.g. in Austria there have been single-party majority governments (e.g., ÖVP in 1966; SPÖ majorities in the 1970s). In Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Belgium, coalitions are usually necessary because of proportional representation and fragmented party systems (and in Belgium also language-balance rules), but coalitions are not legally mandatory—it’s a political reality, not a constitutional requirement. Same applies to Germany, it’s quite some time ago there was a single-party majority. Yet obviously your observation of what coalitions mean to democracy feel/seem right to me.
You're right—I overstated the institutional piece. 'Mandatory' was imprecise; coalitions are a practical reality of proportional representation, not a legal requirement. And Austria's single-party governments under Kreisky are a fair counterexample. The cultural argument still applies—these societies tend toward consensus even when majorities exist—but I should have been more careful with the institutional claims. Thanks for the correction.