In 1974, the touted Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition never materialized, as the Liberal Democrats were wary of hitching their fortunes to an unpopular and discredited politician. The result was a minority government that struggled for support and legitimacy, and in the end offered only policies that provided no real answer to the country’s underlying problems.
1974年的时候，人们谈得很多的保守党—自民党联盟并没有最终形成，因为自由民主党不愿把自己的命运跟一位不受欢迎、信誉扫地的政治家拴在一起。结果诞生了一个少数派内阁，它得不停地为取得支持率与合法性而苦苦挣扎，最终只能出台一些不痛不痒的政策，丝毫没有触及英国深层次的问题。