---

Coalition Government

My Lords, that is perfectly true. However, for centuries—for decades—before 1999, the Conservative Party had a clear majority in your Lordships’ House. After 1999, or after 1997 perhaps, the then Prime Minister said—I think he was right—that the two largest parties should have an equal number of Members and the third party, which was, of course, my own, should have a proportionate share. The meaning of ““proportionate”” was never quite worked out. All that has happened here—and what happened between 1999 and now does not make any difference—is that two parties are on the side of the Government rather than two parties being on the side of the Opposition. We have to prepare for situations where one or both of these events may happen. I have said all that I intend to say. I hope that we will see something that will get us around the serious position we are now in. It will need very careful treatment to get us out of it.