Star comment: Parties in dilemma on deals
Who governs Britain? It was the question Ted Heath put to the country famously at the general election in February 1974.
And come May 8, it may be a question to be asked again, albeit in an entirely different context.
The voters' answer to Mr Heath was that they were not entirely sure. But they denied him a mandate. Judging by the opinion polls, next month's general election result could also see a Britain in which nobody is really sure who has the right to govern the country, with no one party having a clear mandate.
Which will bring us to another key question, which politicians are asking.
It is: Who can we work with? Or, to put it another way: Who will we not work with?
Shrewsbury's Conservative Parliamentary candidate, Daniel Kawczynski, has already drawn his line in the sand on this point.
He says he would oppose any coalition between the Tories and UKIP, and if there was one he would refuse to serve at a ministerial level and would remain on the backbenches.
Other politicians are also going to find themselves with choices to make if the forecast of a hung Parliament turns out to be accurate. Smaller parties may well find themselves with clout which is far greater than that merited by the number of seats won or votes garnered.
There is a bottom line, and that is that whatever the result, the country still has to be governed, and it will be up to the various parties involved to find a way to make sure this happens.
The last five years have shown that even people from widely different parts of the political spectrum can come together effectively.
Back in 1974 Labour's Harold Wilson went into Downing Street and led a minority administration before going to the country after a few months and winning a slender overall majority.
Which is where we take our break from the lesson of history, because the advent of fixed term Parliaments of five years ties the hands of whoever goes into Downing Street next month.
They will not be able to call an election at a time of their choosing. There are circumstances in which there can be an early general election – but the rules governing these pass the initiative in doing so to the opposition.
A cliched phrase often used by politicians is "let us work together". Soon we are likely to find out whether they are capable of practising what they preach.
