'Majority of Brits want single-party rule'

A new opinion poll has found that an overwhelming majority of British citizens are dissatisfied with the coalition politics.

According to the annual British Social Attitudes survey, 69% Britons would like a return to one-party government after five years of coalition.

Only 29% said they be would be happy with another coalition.

The findings come weeks before the country will go for another general election. However, most opinion polls have so far indicated yet another coalition after 7 May vote.

The Conservative-Lib Dem coalition has been in question for a quite long time. This pre-election edition of the study also reveals a nation unconvinced by the current coalition politics, with its increasing Euroscepticism and tougher attitudes towards social security benefits and the unemployed.

"There’s a general distrust against all established politicians, its true about the government as well as the main opposition party. I think that’s because of a series of scandals, the one being MPs expenses. A general feeling is that none of the established parties actually stood for ordinary people", Chris Bambery, a London-based Journalist, Writer & Broadcaster told Press TV.

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In 2010, almost 40% of those surveyed backed the idea of coalition government, but their percentage dropped gradually ever since. Voters find both Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy Nick Clegg as non active in boosting support for the coalition government.

"Apparently, any hopes that the Liberal Democrats might have had that voters would come to accept coalitions once they saw one in action have been dashed by the experience of the last five years", the survey noted.

Analyst says Conservatives, in order to remain in power, will be open to form an alliance with any party.

"There is a general alienation from the established political structure and ruling parties both the center-right and the center-left. I think  Conservatives can go not only to UKIP but even to Democratic Union of Northern Ireland. Conservatives want to gain office and is prepared to cobble together any coalition", Bambery said.   

More importantly, the survey indicates a general disappointed of people with politicians. More than 80 % of those surveyed said they do not trust in the government. Only 17% had favorable view which is less than half the figure the survey found in 1986. The people's inclination to vote has also dropped, from 76% to 58% over the same period.

"Over the past three decades, what we have seen is that there’s a general alienation from politics that means a decline in voting as well as a collapse in membership of major parties", Bambery concluded. 

The study finds that people's apathy is more on the coalition's repeated "strivers versus shirkers" narrative. While opinions on public spending tend to have a "thermostat effect", issues such as benefit cap, health and support of social security in non-monetary
form such as food stamps remain on the top.  There was majority backing for a different benefit regime for the under-25s.

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