Referendum puts strain on Britain’s coalition government

LONDON — Among the fragrant roses behind No. 10 Downing Street, David Cameron and Nick Clegg presented themselves to the British public one year ago as a political dream team: Cameron, a Conservative, as prime minister and Clegg, a Liberal Democrat, as his deputy, in a coalition government blurring the lines between the right and left wings.

Yet as Britons vote on a pivotal referendum Thursday that could change the way they elect their governments, the coalition is no longer smelling so sweet.

Cameron’s conservatives grudgingly agreed to hold the referendum to appease the Liberal Democrats — traditionally Britain’s third-largest political force after the Conservative and Labor parties, and whose support Cameron needed to form a government after a close vote last May. But passage of the measure would arguably aid the Liberal Democrats the most, while hurting the Conservatives in future elections. To defeat it, the Conservatives are being accused of waging a misinformation and smear campaign against their very own coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats.

After talking up the fraternal bonds of political friendship only months ago, Clegg is now lashing out at the Conservatives for spreading “lies” and “deceit.” The tension spilled over into a cabinet meeting Tuesday, when the Liberal Democrat energy secretary openly confronted Cameron over campaign materials against the measure that contained personal attacks against Clegg.

The open warfare over the referendum is damaging the coalition, potentially testing its ability to hold together as planned for a full five years. The Liberal Democrats are vowing that win or lose, they will more aggressively challenge Cameron’s Conservative agenda after Thursday’s vote. Already, the Liberal Democrats in recent weeks have come out swinging against Cameron on issues including immigration and heath-care reform.

“The first 12 months, there was a bit of an embed [with the conservatives], but now it is time for us to flex our muscles a bit,” Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrats’ party president, said in an interview.

In the balance, however, is not only the durability of the coalition government, but also a major shift in the voting system.

The ballot measure would dump the current system that elects members of Parliament by simply awarding victory to the candidate with the most votes. It would be replaced with a system similar to the one used to pick the best picture at the Academy Awards, with voters ranking the candidates in order of preference and the losing candidates’ votes then redistributed.

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