The Pact
The Inside Story of the Lib-Lab Government, 1977-1978
Published on 12. March 2015
192 pages
978-0-571-32499-6 (ISBN)
Description
In 1977 Prime Minister James Callaghan and Liberal leader David Steel struck a constitutional deal, by which the Labour government could survive a vote of no confidence and get its business through Parliament, while the Liberals gained access to the anterooms of power.
The Pact, a contemporaneous account of the hatching and workings of the 'Lib-Lab' deal of 1977-8, is an invaluable time-capsule of British politics but also a pointer to its future. Coalition government has oft been scorned in Britain, since - as Alistair Michie and Simon Hoggart note - the main parties regard their opponents chiefly as 'targets off which points may be scored'. But hung parliaments and inter-party deals, as revived in May of 2010, may be back to stay.
This new edition of The Pact, in memory of its co-author Simon Hoggart (1946-2014), includes new prefaces by David Steel, Roy Hattersley, and the journalist Stephen Bush.
The Pact, a contemporaneous account of the hatching and workings of the 'Lib-Lab' deal of 1977-8, is an invaluable time-capsule of British politics but also a pointer to its future. Coalition government has oft been scorned in Britain, since - as Alistair Michie and Simon Hoggart note - the main parties regard their opponents chiefly as 'targets off which points may be scored'. But hung parliaments and inter-party deals, as revived in May of 2010, may be back to stay.
This new edition of The Pact, in memory of its co-author Simon Hoggart (1946-2014), includes new prefaces by David Steel, Roy Hattersley, and the journalist Stephen Bush.
More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
File size
6,52 MB
ISBN-13
978-0-571-32499-6 (9780571324996)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
03/2015
Faber & Faber
€22.30
Shipment within 15-20 days
Persons
Alistair Michie and Simon Hoggart
Content
- Intro
- Landing Page
- Title Page
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Foreword by Lord Steel of Aikenwood
- Foreword by Lord Hattersley
- Introduction
- 1: The Rug Technique
- 2: The Shopping Lists
- 3: The Religious Disputations
- 4: The Boy David
- 5: The Conservative Socialist
- 6: The Spanner in the Tank
- 7: The Douce Debaters
- 8: The Second Act
- 9: The Wispy Beards Strike Back
- 10: The Budget and the Bullies
- 11: The Marriage of Convenience
- About the Authors
- Copyright
