So Who's the Senior Partner in this Coalition?

Tuesday, 25th May 2010

The choreography of the new coalition is designed to make this look like a partnership of equals. But I'm increasingly convinced that Nick Clegg pulled a masterstroke here. This really is a joint premiership. Someone suggested I take a look at the full coalition document on the Cabinet Office website to see just how much the Liberal Democrat leader had wrung from his Tory counterpart in the negotiations. The most striking phrase is: "... will be agreed between the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister", which litters the document. The "I agree with Nick" slogan used by the Lib Dems during the election campaign has thus become embedded in the constitutional agreement. This is an astonishing achievement from Clegg, who has effectively ended up in Downing Street after gaining fewer seats in parliament than his predecessor.
One of the choicest ironies of the 2010 election is that the major party fewest people voted for now has a juicy slice of power.

Filed under: Coalition (2090 more articles) , David Cameron (1914 more articles) , Downing Street (140 more articles) , Election 2010 (599 more articles) , Electoral reform (91 more articles) , Liberal Democrats (1156 more articles) , Liberal-Conservative (4 more articles) , Nick Clegg (706 more articles)

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Judy

May 26th, 2010 12:05am Report this comment

Yes, huge triumph for Clegg. He's got to take over the Deputy Prime Ministership. So he'll have all the power, influence and importance that John Prescott had under Blair. I assume he'll be less of an oaf with his staff. Oh, I forgot. Of course. Prescott was also Minister for Transport and all sorts as well. Shows what a totally vital and absorbing job Deputy PM is. And didn't it show what an aching hole in government was left in the Brown government which staggered on without a Deputy PM.

Fergus Pickering

May 26th, 2010 4:05am Report this comment

David Cameron is the senior partner, Martin. But the tywo are partners. Labour never gave the Liberals or Liberal/democrats a sniff. They have always treated them with contempt and supposed they were silly socialists or useful idiots. And of course if they were David Steel or Paddy Ashdown, so they were. Glad to put you straight on this. Oh, and Fat Balls is the chap for you lot. I mean this quite sincerely. You know it makes sense.

Ricky

May 26th, 2010 11:11am Report this comment

Martin - the Coalition reflects the new political landscape of early 21st century Britain, where the old 19th century tribal certainties have all but disappeared.

Except, of course within the Parliamentary Labour Party. They sat on the Opposition benches yesterday - fuming. The sense of frustration, anger and entitlement was palpable. There was no grace, no future fair for all favoured minorities....just indignation that they were not quite able to empty out our great grandchildren's piggy banks for another dose of command and control social engineering and send the unreconstructed rationalists off to the intellectual gulag for a spot of re-education......boy, they must be missing their elitist privileges......

Trevor

May 29th, 2010 12:31pm Report this comment

The Liberal Treasury Minister may resign over his expenses. If he does, the party affiliation of his successor will demonstrate the real attitude the Tories have in regard of their coalition partners.