ABSTRACT
One of the most enduring characteristics of British political discourse is its love of dichotomies. Any suggestion that our national life could be better organized on the basis of compromise and the pragmatic blurring of ideological differences is not just seen as a betrayal by the doctrinally pure, but infuriates the tabloid press who thrive on clear-cut enmity and what they dubiously claim are choices between good and evil. Coalition government, so common among our economically successful European partners, is seen as a recipe for weakness and, while third parties are tolerated in the name of democracy, they are seen by the press as a nuisance, amusing and newsworthy in by-elections but to be firmly squashed at ‘real’ election times.
