A brilliant study on UK’s nascent coalition experiment
July 12, 2025
  • Read Ecopy
  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Jharkhand
    • Maharashtra
    • View All States
  • World
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • North America
    • South America
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Global Commons
  • Editorial
  • International
  • Opinion
  • Op Sindoor
  • More
    • Analysis
    • Sports
    • Defence
    • RSS in News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Special Report
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • G20
    • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
    • Vocal4Local
    • Web Stories
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Law
    • Health
    • Obituary
    • Podcast
MAGAZINE
  • ‌
  • Bharat
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Jharkhand
    • Maharashtra
    • View All States
  • World
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • North America
    • South America
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Global Commons
  • Editorial
  • International
  • Opinion
  • Op Sindoor
  • More
    • Analysis
    • Sports
    • Defence
    • RSS in News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Economy
    • Culture
    • Special Report
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • G20
    • Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
    • Vocal4Local
    • Web Stories
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Law
    • Health
    • Obituary
    • Podcast
Organiser
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Operation Sindoor
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Culture
  • Defence
  • International Edition
  • RSS in News
  • Magazine
  • Read Ecopy
Home General

A brilliant study on UK’s nascent coalition experiment

by Archive Manager
Nov 27, 2011, 12:00 am IST
in General
FacebookTwitterWhatsAppTelegramEmail

BOOKMARK-1

By Manju Gupta


The Coalition and the Constitution
, Vernon Bogdanor, Oxford and Portland, Pp 148 (HB)

This is a book pertaining to Britain and meant essentially for the British and citizens of native countries where the British established their rule or where the British constitution is followed.

Today Britain is ruled by the first peace-time coalition government since the 1930s. This coalition arose out of Britain’s first hung parliament since 1974. The process by which the 2010 coalition came into being raises fundamental questions about the British constitution, the processes of government formation in a hung parliament and the role of the incumbent Prime Minister in a hung parliament.

When Gordon Brown came to power, some said he should have resigned as he had not won the election, while others argued the opposite. The author of the book feels that in a coalition government the voters are given no choice to endorse or repudiate the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition and it would be a fact that many would have repudiated it and in Britain, nor were the voters given the chance to endorse or reject the coalition’s Programme for Government drawn by the partners shortly after the elections. So the author tries to answer the question of the role of the mandate in British politics, its relevance and limits.

The coalition promised a “whole raft of constitutional reforms, the most important of which are fixed-term parliaments, a directly elected second chamber and referendum on the alternative vote method of elections which was held in May 2011.” The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg in a speech had declared that these reforms amounted to “the most significant programme of empowerment by a British Government since the great enfranchisement of the 19th century… and the biggest shakeup of our democracy since 1832 when the Great Reform redrew the boundaries of British democracy, for the first time extending the franchise beyond the landed classes.”

The author tries to show that the era of constitutional reform which began with the Tony Blair government in 1997 is by no means over. “Far from the British constitution having reached a stable regime in place, it remains in flux. Reform of the constitution is most definitely a process, not an event.” The working or evolution of a constitution cannot thus be independent to political circumstances.

The author says, “Thus, if we are once again entering a world of multi-party politics, hung parliaments and coalition governments, the constitution will have to change to accommodate this changed political landscape.”

The book seeks to analyse this changed landscape, to consider how the coalitions might work in Britain and to evaluate the constitutional consequences of regular coalition governments. It also tries to chart the future of a constitution whose fabled adaptability and flexibility are likely to be severely tested in the years ahead. In doing so, it seeks to penetrate the cloud of polemic and partisanship to provide an objective analysis for the informed citizen.

(Hart Publishing Ltd, 16C Worcester Place, Oxford, OX1 2JW; www.hartpub.co.uk

ShareTweetSendShareSend
✮ Subscribe Organiser YouTube Channel. ✮
✮ Join Organiser's WhatsApp channel for Nationalist views beyond the news. ✮
Previous News

IN FOCUS

Next News

STRATEGIC KALEIDOSCOPE

Related News

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Swarajya Symbols Immortalised: 12 forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj added in UNESCO world heritage list

Air India Crash: Preliminary Report Reveals Mysterious Engine Shutdown

Air India Crash: Report finds no evidence of sabotage, focus on mysterious engine shutdown — All you need to know

Representative image

Ahmedabad Air India Crash: Fuel control switch error caused engine failure, says AAIB preliminary investigation report

Representative Image

UGC Anti-Ragging Guidelines: Strict punishments to ensure safe and inclusive campuses

Digital India Foundation flags security threat over Pakistan bid to join global AI Alliance Network (AIANET)

Digital India Foundation flags security threat over Pakistan bid to join global AI Alliance Network (AIANET)

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval attends the 62nd Convocation of IIT Madras

Tamil Nadu: Ajit Doval rips into foreign media over Operation Sindoor narrative

Load More

Comments

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Organiser. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.

Latest News

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Swarajya Symbols Immortalised: 12 forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj added in UNESCO world heritage list

Air India Crash: Preliminary Report Reveals Mysterious Engine Shutdown

Air India Crash: Report finds no evidence of sabotage, focus on mysterious engine shutdown — All you need to know

Representative image

Ahmedabad Air India Crash: Fuel control switch error caused engine failure, says AAIB preliminary investigation report

Representative Image

UGC Anti-Ragging Guidelines: Strict punishments to ensure safe and inclusive campuses

Digital India Foundation flags security threat over Pakistan bid to join global AI Alliance Network (AIANET)

Digital India Foundation flags security threat over Pakistan bid to join global AI Alliance Network (AIANET)

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval attends the 62nd Convocation of IIT Madras

Tamil Nadu: Ajit Doval rips into foreign media over Operation Sindoor narrative

Andhra Pradesh: Kamalananda Bharati Swamiji set to commence padayatra to strengthen dharmic and temple centric society

Shubhranshu Singh joins Inaugural Board of Effie LIONS Foundation, to represent India and South Asia

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha

J&K: LG Manoj Sinha lashes out at those spreading false, misleading narratives similar to that of terror organisations

Celebrating Aurangzeb? Why India urgently needs genocide memory laws

  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Cookie Policy
  • Refund and Cancellation
  • Delivery and Shipping

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies

  • Home
  • Search Organiser
  • Bharat
    • Assam
    • Bihar
    • Chhattisgarh
    • Jharkhand
    • Maharashtra
    • View All States
  • World
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • North America
    • South America
    • Europe
    • Australia
    • Global Commons
  • Editorial
  • Operation Sindoor
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Defence
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Business
  • RSS in News
  • Entertainment
  • More ..
    • Sci & Tech
    • Vocal4Local
    • Special Report
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Politics
    • Law
    • Economy
    • Obituary
    • Podcast
  • Subscribe Magazine
  • Read Ecopy
  • Advertise
  • Circulation
  • Careers
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Policies & Terms
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Refund and Cancellation
    • Terms of Use

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies