People are understandably angry at a Tory majority, but those same people should step back and look holistically at the whole picture. And that is that this majority is likely to destroy the Conservative government’s credibility in short order.

In 1992 John Major won a slightly larger majority than David Cameron did on May 7th. Major was elected with 336 seats of 651. That meant a majority of 21 then. Cameron just won 331 seats, but his majority is 8. This will have profound effects on the second Cameron ministry.

There has been a lot of talk about an unfettered Tory majority, but people forget that the previous coalition has a much, much bigger majority which cushioned it against rebellions and mischief-making. The second Cameron ministry will have no such cushion, particularly with a very hostile Liberal Democrat party who nurses grievances in the way the Conservatives practically ate their junior partner.

The DUP is not a reliable partner because contrary to what many think, the Democratic Unionist Party is quite collectivist, and for electoral reasons it wants to see higher public spending – not austerity. One of the things the DUP would have demanded from the Conservatives in a hung parliament situation would have been more funds for the Northern Irish public sector.

This is the chess board that Cameron has been dealt, and this is what will most likely destroy his government. The 1922 committee of the House of Commons will make large demands for a sharp tack to the right for its support, which will alienate more moderate Conservatives like Ken Clarke. Rebellions will feature much, much more in this ministry than the last, and it only takes a few each time.

In interviews, Alex Salmond has stated that Cameron’s majority is likely to only last a few months, and there’s no reason to doubt this. One just has to look at the numbers. The irony is that the Tories warned about the instability of a Labour and SNP government, but it would have been a walk in the park against what is coming with this Conservative one. One of the reasons Tony Blair won, and a large part of the reason, was that the Major ministry had become known for sleaze and chaos. I would think that this was half the reason why Blair won the 1997 election by so much.

My bet is that this Cameron ministry will collapse long before 2020, and the Conservatives will have become unelectable for decades. Just as happened with John Major and his larger minority, so yes – this could be 1992 all over again, and the left can relish that prospect.