Worse, the Social Democrats have no tradition of managing baggy coalitions, preferring instead to run minority governments that look to smaller parties to win votes in parliament.
The poll he would have won comfortably left Gillard running a minority government.
It effectively sinks Pier Luigi Bersani's chances of running a minority government.
A proposed 45p minimum price per unit of alcohol, dear to the Scottish National Party SNPP) then running a minority government, was voted down in 2010.
Labour began to show a serious tactical interest in AV during the 1929-31 Labour government of Ramsay MacDonald, which was running a minority administration dependent on Liberal support.
In Wales, Labour remained the largest party but will be forced into running a minority administration after losing a seat on the assembly.
Strategists believe that the Tories need to win 310 seats – four more than last time – to have a chance of running a minority government.
Discussing the idea of running a minority administration, he said: "We talked about it extensively, and we had a meeting about it over the past couple of days.
In Sweden's recent election the far-right Sweden Democrats won seats for the first time, denying Fredrik Reinfeldt, the prime minister, a centre-right majority (he is now running a minority government).
"When I went to them and told them I was running for minority leader," Mr. Paterson said of his Harlem elders, "they were not only supportive, they were enthusiastic".
