The Politics of Coalition

The Politics of Coalition is the tale of two UK parties struggling to maintain the first coalition government at Westminster for over 60 years, explaining how the Conservative-Lib Dem government works. What have been the challenges they have faced in the first 15 months, and how have they managed it? With the authorization of Prime Minister David Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, and Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell, the Constitution Unit (at the School of Public Policy, University College, London) has interviewed over 140 ministers, MPs, Lords, civil servants, party officials, and interest groups about the coalition and what impact the coalition government has had upon Westminster and Whitehall. The Politics of Coalition tells how the Coalition has fared in the different arenas of the British political system: at the Center, within the Departments, in Parliament, in the parties outside Parliament, and in the media. The book will be of interest to politicians, policy makers, academics, students, and anyone interested in how the UK Coalition works in practice and not just in theory.

Robert Hazell is Professor of Government and the Constitution at University College London, UK, and the Director of the Constitution Unit in UCL's School of Public Policy. Ben Yong is a research associate at the Constitution Unit.