Why Cameron and Clegg need to reflect on the working of the coalition
The coalition has, so far, worked much better than anyone could have predicted before May — thanks obviously to the harmonious lead of David Cameron and Nick Clegg but also to the initial work by the...
View ArticleYes, Prime Minister on stage: the verdict
Yes, Prime Minister is one of those rare television programmes that shaped the way we look at the world. For many people, the experience of governing is still defined by Sir Humphrey’s scheming and Jim...
View ArticleHow ‘inevitable’ was the Con-Lib Dem Coalition?
The electoral arithmetic of the election result – with the Tories as big gainers and Labour as big losers – always tipped the odds against a Labour / Lib Dem coalition. This is not least since it would...
View ArticleForming the government: the lessons from May 2010
Almost everyone who took part has had their say (apart from Gordon Brown) and there has been growing debate on the lessons to be learnt. The Cabinet Office has produced its own view of the implications...
View ArticleThe real battle for power in Scotland and Wales
The aftermath of last year’s general election proved something of a shock to the Westminster village. Although it had been apparent for some time that there might be a hung parliament, few had...
View ArticleClegg comes through for the Conservatives on Constitutional Reform
At a joint Constitution Unit/Institute for Government seminar on 11 July I developed three propositions: The Conservatives are just as much a party of constitutional reform as the Lib Dems, but this...
View ArticleSpecial Treatment? Why the coalition is appointing more special advisers
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is in the process of appointing around half a dozen additional special advisers (SpAds). This will apparently take the overall number of SpAds across Whitehall to...
View ArticleHow 2015 will be very different from 2010
The 2015 general election is going to be very different from 2010. The unexpected events of the ‘five days in May’ leading to the formation of the first Coalition government for 65 years have provided...
View Article5 days – or longer – in May 2015
No one has the faintest idea what the election result will be in 2015 but we could easily have another hung parliament – and the experience of 2010 will influence the expectations and behaviour of...
View Article50 ways to leave a coalition – and how to govern in the final phase
These questions – and more – are the subject of a seminar at the Institute for Government – ‘50 Ways to Leave a Coalition’. In practice, there may not be 50 distinct scenarios, but as our panellists...
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