UK 2015 - PARALLELS WITH 1974. WILL WE SEE A MINORITY GOVERNMENT?

Polls continue to suggest the Conservatives and Labour remain neck and neck ahead of May 7th's UK General election, and that whoever 'wins' may even find it difficult to put together a coalition government.

Which is why it's useful to look back to 1974 - the last time Britain had a minority government.

In the February election of that year the Labour Party won the most seats (despite not winning the most votes) and leader Harold Wilson ended up forming a minority government.

Here he is on election night (6 minutes in) as results came in, smoking a pipe on television, and ruling out forming a coalition.



The parallels don't end there.

It was also a night on which the nationalists the SNP performed well in Scotland - although this time around it's predicted they'll fare even better. Far better.

And there's voter apathy too - a distrust of the major political parties (4.10 in).





But the BBC coverage is also worth watching just because, well, it's brilliant. You'll see names like Magnus Magnusson, Sue Lawley, Richard Dimbleby, Esther Rantzen, Martin Bell, Alastair Burnet and Robin Day.



And you'll marvel at how - graphics and wizzes and pops and swooshes and virtual reality aside - so little has changed in election night coverage.

Back to the politics though, and how long did the minority government last? Until October, when the country went back to the polls and the BBC went back to its election studio.






Although in 2015, due to the Fixed-term Parliaments Act brought in after 2010's hung Parliament, calling a second election this year would be more complicated than it was in 1974.

Olly Barratt - UK correspondent