This is the second of three articles on the policies of the coalition government. The first dealt with its approach to civil liberties. This covers matters relating to the constitution. The third will cover cuts. The articles are arranged in order of praise.
Roger Smith continues to identify the good, the bad & the ugly in the coalition
This is the second of three articles on the policies of the coalition government. The first dealt with its approach to civil liberties. This covers matters relating to the constitution. The third will cover cuts. The articles are arranged in order of praise. The coalition is excellent on civil liberties (NLJ, 2 July 2010, p 917); potentially disastrous on cuts; and more balanced on the constitution.
Precedent
The coalition created welcome constitutional precedent by the very publishing of its Programme for Government. This is a form of extended manifesto in which the two parties set out their legislative programme for the Parliament. It was the result of the deal-making that followed the inconclusive election. This is unfamiliar for us but very much standard practice in Europe.