The Conservative-Liberal Coalition: Examining the Cameron-Clegg Government

A unique full term analysis of the Clegg Cameron Government, this new collection from Beech and Lee provides a timely and thought provoking study of the Coalition Government's policies and legislation and its impact on British Politics in light of the next General Election. The Conservative-Liberal Coalition examines the evolution of political thought in both parties, and the impact and ramifications of the Coalition for contemporary conservatism and liberalism. Bringing together a cast of leading academics and political commentators on a range of key issues from the economy and education to immigration and the European Union, this volume explains the nature and development of the Coalition's ideas and policies, and offers a critical evaluation of its strategy for reducing the United Kingdom's budget deficit. Enabling general readers and voters to decide for themselves on the record of the first coalition government since 1945, this volume is an indispensable guide to the key debates which will shape the conduct of the 2015 general election.

Table of Contents:
List of Tables and Figures Foreword by Rt. Hon. David Willetts MP The Centre for British Politics Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors 1.The Ideology of the Coalition: More Liberal than Conservative; Matt Beech 2.The Political Economy of The Coalition: Indebted and Unbalanced; Simon Lee 3.Education Policy: Consumerism and Competition; Simon Griffiths 4.Health and Social Care Reform under the Coalition; Holly Jarman and Scott L. Greer 5.The Coalition, Poverty and Social Security; Robert M. Page 6.The Coalition: How Green was My Tally?; James Connelly 7.Immigration and Housing; Rebecca Partos and Tim Bale 8.Justice, Home Affairs, Civil Liberties and Human Rights; Peter Munce 9.Parliament and the Constitution: The Coalition in Conflict; Philip Norton and Louise Thompson 10.The Condition of England under the Coalition; Simon Lee 11.The Coalition's Impact on Scotland; Margaret Arnott 12.The Coalition's Impact on Wales; Roger Scully 13.The Coalition's Impact on Northern Ireland; Cathy Gormley-Heenan and Arthur Aughey 14.Defence Under the Coalition: Maintaining Influence Under Continuing Austerity; Christopher Martin 15.Foreign Policy and International Development; Rhiannon Vickers 16.The Coalition and the European Union; Philip Lynch 17.The Coalition: A Transformative Government?; Matt Beech Index

About the Author :
Matt Beech is Senior Lecturer in Politics and Director of the Centre for British Politics at the University of Hull. His research interests are in the ideas, history and public policy of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties. Simon Lee is Senior Lecturer in Politics and Director of the Centre for Political Economy at the University of Hull. His teaching and research interests lie primarily in the field of political economy, with a particular focus upon globalisation, governance and national economic performance, and the politics and political economy of England.

Review :
"The Centre for British Politics at Hull has become one of the leading centres for the study of British politics. This important collection of essays provides a comprehensive and insightful account of the policies and performance of the Coalition Government since 2010. It will be essential reading for all students of British politics." - Professor Andrew Gamble, University of Cambridge, UK "Electoral trends in the UK may render coalitions the norm rather than the exception, making Matt Beech's and Simon Lee's The Conservative-Liberal Coalition a particularly timely and informative contribution. Beech and Lee have gathered an impressive lineup of British politics scholars in this first comprehensive review of the politics and policy of the Coalition. Beech's insight of a coalition 'more liberal than conservative' in its ideology is counterintuitively intriguing and illuminates how austerity and the reforms of the British welfare state might prove this Coalition to be more transformational than reformist in the end. The Conservative-Liberal Coalition is the indisputable starting point for serious analysis of the legacy of the coalition and will serve to shape the debate to follow." - Terrence Casey, Professor of Political Science and Head, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, USA "This highly readable series of essays provides astute analysis of the challenges facing the Coalition collectively, the two parties and their respective leaders. A must-read for those who want to understand the record of the Coalition, a judicious mix of politics and public policy is discussed in an informed and balanced way which nonetheless does not pull its punches about the Coalition's successes and failures." - Julie Smith, University of Cambridge and House of Lords, UK