UK Conservative Party leader David Cameron has announced a historic coalition government with the Liberal Democrats, following the resignation of Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The deal between the two parties, which are ideologically opposed on issues such as engagement with Europe, marks the country’s first coalition government since Winston Churchill’s wartime coalition 70 years ago.
Cameron has already moved into the Prime Minister’s residence at Number 10 Downing Street, 90 minutes after Brown’s departure. He becomes Britain’s 53rd Prime Minister, and its youngest in 200 years, while leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg will serve as the Deputy Prime Minister.
Cameron promised he and Clegg would put their political differences aside – of which there are a great many – and seek to rebuild public trust in politics. The catchphrase of the new government would be: “Those who can, should, those who cannot, we will always help”, Cameron said.
Clegg received backing for the deal from his party last night, and committed to a five year coalition government with five of the 23 members of cabinet coming from his party.
The agreement also forced the Conservatives to make concessions on many of their policies. Key among these was a move towards raising tax thresholds for the wealthy, and a referendum on political reform – namely an alternative voting system that would force elections on the House of Lords.
Conservative plans for welfare reform, immigration caps and independent state schools will remain, while disagreements still exist over nuclear power plants and the Trident nuclear deterrent.
The deal marks a bitter day for Labour. Despite losing seats five seats in the election, the Liberal Democrats have a five year opportunity to take control of left-wing politics in the UK, leaving Labour completely offside in the next election.
Brown’s resignation was Labour’s last card to play, hoping that their own negotiations for a Lib-Lab coalition would taste sweeter with Brown out of the way.
But the jubilation among both the parties now in government masks widespread dissatisfaction in the ranks of both. United only in their dislike of Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are fundamentally different creatures and it will be a test of British politics whether one’s small-government approach will tolerate the welfare innovation of the other.
The change in government is a net gain for the Maldives. The Conservative party played a key role in training the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) from street campaigners into a political party, and pressured the British government to condemn alleged human rights abuses occurring in the country.
“Their human rights group took up our case and put pressure on the British government. At their conference they put me in touch with centre-right parties from Serbia to Sri Lanka and gave me a platform from which to tell the world about what was happening in the Maldives,” President Mohamed Nasheed said, in an interview with the Telegraph newspaper in January 2009.
It led a visit by a Conservative delegation including vice-president Richard Spring and recently-crowned Redditch MP Karen Lumley to give the MDP advice on campaigning and “strategic alliance building”.
“They deserve our support and they will certainly get it. We want to keep a spotlight on events unfolding in the Maldives,” Spring said, at the time.
After the election, Lumley wrote in the Birmingham Advertiser that she “was humbled by people who just wanted a better future for themselves and their families. I am so proud that I was able to a very small part of that change.”
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“Their human rights group took up our case and put pressure on the British government. At their conference they put me in touch with centre-right parties from Serbia to Sri Lanka and gave me a platform from which to tell the world about what was happening in the Maldives,” President Mohamed Nasheed said, in an interview with the Telegraph newspaper in January 2009.
WHAT A BUNCH OF LIES, MR PRESIDENT....
What he refers to as Serbia is actually the Otpor movement...they were introduced to Raajje after the current AG met them at a conference... and the Srilankan connection also did not happen thru the Conservatives... Good God... already he is trying to twist the history of the democratic movement in Raajje...
Thankfully there r enough people who saw it happen for his version of what happened to not be bought by at least the Maldivian people...
And it was not Conservative Party that lead to a victory for him...but the support of other parties who wished to change the Gayoom govt... It is this kind of arrogance that has him in such a tight, unpopular spot today...
You are right Jenny. The man has forgotten the dirty socks from where he has come from. He thinks this government solely belongs to MDP. He has forgotten that his party did not win the general election of Maldives but had the oppotunity to form the government because of the coalition parties who wanted to oust the dictator Qayyoom. But today he is trying to be worst dictator than Qayyoom himself. He will se his end as well, just like the way Qayyoom saw his.
UK Conservatives deserve a lot of credit for ousting the Maldivian dictator. They trained MDP in many many ways specially Anni on how to 'play' so Maumoon just might go without sending Maldives to a blood bath. In no other country has a dictator removed as peacefully as Maldives and Maldivians alone did not have the temperament - just look at the current parliament.
Only if our coalition parties tried just for once in their political life or even personal life to leave their party and personal views behind and do something for the good of the country. People are not benefiting from the overthrow of the previous dictatorship solely because individual politicians from all coalition parties including MDP, are trying to just stay in power or to damage the other so that the next election, they have a chance to win. Yes this is politics, but at the same time this is a dangerous politics with greed because all those that supports these individuals are also not thinking of the benefit of the country, instead lets cause as much trouble now so that people will lose confidence in the other party - giving the opposite party better chance to win. Dirty politics back up by greedy minority supporters. I am pretty sure that majority of people in every party just wants a fair and transparent country. Yet the famous politicians and some activists who have climbed the leader of politics slowly are not standing up for the country, instead keep accusing just the party which they do not support instead of pointing out the wrongs of all politicians without looking at who they are affiliated with.
People has a blame to this too. These people were elected to parliament by the people. Maybe they voted for a person due to his fame, maybe money, God knows best!. But every wrong that the politicians we elect does, we ourselves have a share of the blame. So why not next time vote for the poorest and honest man who does not want money? Why not before we vote, we ask the candidates if they are looking for money and fame, or will they remember that they are servants of the people who elected him. Not to the president or other political figures, but to the people only.