UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to step down

[Psi U MC Vito]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

It's interesting but this is the part of the British government that I find i understand best through the Daily Show's explanations. That and I had no real opinion about Brown, and no true understanding of how a coalition government will be run or how long it will last since it seems like you can call for elections on an irregular schedule in Britain.

Well the PM can dissolve parliament whenever he wants to. However a parliament can only be in session for 5 years maximum. Very rarely does it run the full five years though since it can be dissolved earlier. With a minority or coalition government, there is also a possibility of a motion of no confidence.


RU OX http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...agreement.html

That is their official agreement. Now I wonder how much of it will come true.

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

Well the PM can dissolve parliament whenever he wants to. However a parliament can only be in session for 5 years maximum. Very rarely does it run the full five years though since it can be dissolved earlier. With a minority or coalition government, there is also a possibility of a motion of no confidence.


RU OX http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...agreement.html

That is their official agreement. Now I wonder how much of it will come true.

Thanks!

I think it will hold for a couple of years at least. I think the question of switching to euro anytime soon has been put to rest as Greece pretty much screwed that up.

A left/right coalition in the UK is really quite remarkable given the overall political sitiuation on the international level. I hope they take the good ideas from each party though, and not just nonsense parts.

Labor barely won any. Could the LDP be the new "other" party? That's what I find really interesting in this.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

Well the PM can dissolve parliament whenever he wants to.

I just have to pick a nit here.

The Prime Minister can ask the Queen to dissolve Parliament and call for new elections whenever he wants to. But it's the Queen, not the PM, who can actually dissolve Parliament.

[Psi U MC Vito]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I just have to pick a nit here.

The Prime Minister can ask the Queen to dissolve Parliament and call for new elections whenever he wants to. But it's the Queen, not the PM, who can actually dissolve Parliament.

Good point MC. But in reality the Crown always dissolves Parliament when asked. The last time that he didn't was way back in 1923. If Elizabeth was asked to dissolve and she refused, it might cause a constitutional crisis.

I don't know RU OX how long this will last. As my friend said, it's a match made in hell. And some of the changes they want are huge, especially some of the political ones. I personally think that as soon as the Lib Dems get proportional representation, they are bailing. And Labour still did pretty well in the election, if not as well as the Conservatives. The Lib Dems are still the third party. If it wasn't for the fact that they still wouldn't have had a majority anyway, they would have joined with Labour instead.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

Good point MC. But in reality the Queen always dissolves Parliament when asked. The last time that he didn't was way back in 1923. If Elizabeth was asked to dissolve and she refused, it might cause a constitutional crisis.

Very true, and I was just gigging you a little. Nevertheless, there are protocols that must be followed, and I think we Americans tend to not fully appreciate the role the Crown has in government (the Queen-in-Parliament). My son and I were hearing the story on NPR about Brown resigning and a "new government" in the UK. The "new government" caught his ear, as it sounded to him like a new system of government. We discussed what it means in the British context, including how Brown didn't just resign, he submitted his resignation to the Queen, who on accepting it invited David Cameron to form a new government.

The decision to dissolve Parliament is the government's; the power to dissolve Parliament is the Crown's.