A few weeks ago none of us had the faintest notion what a coalition was.  Doom-mongers prophesied dire consequences if the election resulted in a hung parliament, and we all nodded sagely and thought, “flip, I hope that doesn’t happen (whatever it is)”…

What a difference a few weeks can make.  We’ve had buddy-buddy press conferences, mutual admiration, conversation; Nick Clegg now reckons that the two previously diametrically opposed parties were actually talking about the same thing all along: “The interesting thing I have discovered over the last week is that we have been using different words but we mean similar things… What I call liberalism David Cameron calls the Big Society.”

I love the description in yesterday’s Sunday Times of the coalition as ‘A Fine Bromance’:

Couldn’t you just watch them all day?  Joshing and jousting, second-guessing each other’s jokes, smiling at one another’s indiscretions.  Who cares how the coalition is panning out, when we have the mesmerising spectacle of the Cameron-Clegg bromance unfolding before our eyes…

What fascinates me about the coalition is that, in the space of a few weeks, the concept of distinct parties becoming part of a shared entity has become common cultural currency.  Not only do we now understand it, it feels as if people like it; we’re starting to really see the value of conversation, negotiation and compromise over single-party control.  And also – it looks like a lot more fun.

It’s almost like…could you say… a Shared Medley?!  The concept for The Dock (explained more fully here: http://www.thedockchurch.org/blog/?p=606) could in many ways have included the term ‘coalition’ (if I’d known what it meant at the time…)  Different denominations, different ministries, different styles and expressions of worship – but sharing a common core.  Engaging in (respectful) conversation about our differences, but focussed on the greater good that unites us – the call to bring the love and hope of God to the Titanic Quarter.

I wonder if the coalition is a sign that we’ve left an outdated style of leadership in the past; that we’re all beginning to favour conversation over competition.

And, if that’s the case – one more thought: why are politicians – politicians! – showing Christians how it’s done?