Cabinet participation erodes the distinctiveness of junior coalition partners’ ‘brand’

“Cleggmania” preceded the 2010 General Election, where Nick Clegg saw his and his party’s reputation and poll share sky-rocket following his assured performance in the general election debate. However in 2015, Clegg – as Deputy Prime Minister in a minority government with the Conservatives – was almost universally unpopular, leading his party to a disastrous result in which his party lost 48 of 56 seats. Press coverage before and since the election has suggested that this kind of performance for minor coalition partners is inevitable, but David Fortunato argues that while it isn’t this straightforward, cabinet participation does dilute the ‘brand’ of the junior partners.