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Hung Together: The 2010 Election and the Coalition Government
Hung Together tells the story of a year that made political history as told by the protagonists and as witnessed by two journalists with unrivalled access to events. Adam Boulton and Joey Jones were at the heart of the action of the past extraordinary months and are able to draw on detailed interviews with all the key players to build up the most complete and intimate picture of how things unfolded.
Hung Together begins by looking at the election campaign and the pivotal events of the weeks running up to polling day - including the televised Leaders Debates (one of which Boulton chaired). The book then follows the campaign trail -- Joey Jones, the only senior journalist permitted to follow David Cameron day in, day out reveals a glimpse of the stresses the future PM found himself under during his gruelling weeks on the road -- and the coalition negotiations; a hothouse of discussion and give and take, the consequences of which are only just sinking in. Westminster has rarely witnessed such drama and yet much of what went on has not so far been told. Whether on the stump, while broadcasting live, or during tense discussions deep in the bowels of Whitehall, the authors witnessed every event themselves or know someone who did.
And in Hung Together they unveil a complete picture of what really went on, a story that is at present shrouded in rumour and secrecy.
Hung Together begins by looking at the election campaign and the pivotal events of the weeks running up to polling day - including the televised Leaders Debates (one of which Boulton chaired). The book then follows the campaign trail -- Joey Jones, the only senior journalist permitted to follow David Cameron day in, day out reveals a glimpse of the stresses the future PM found himself under during his gruelling weeks on the road -- and the coalition negotiations; a hothouse of discussion and give and take, the consequences of which are only just sinking in. Westminster has rarely witnessed such drama and yet much of what went on has not so far been told. Whether on the stump, while broadcasting live, or during tense discussions deep in the bowels of Whitehall, the authors witnessed every event themselves or know someone who did.
And in Hung Together they unveil a complete picture of what really went on, a story that is at present shrouded in rumour and secrecy.
- GenresPolitics
320 pages, Hardcover
First published November 8, 2010
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 31, 2019
Who was stunned by the Conservative landslide of 2019? Well, I for one certainly was! And yet... Was it that surprising?
Forget Brexit for now. Rewind it all up until the surprising and as unexpected elections of 2010, and you will see that when it comes to our actual political landscape most seeds were then already planted in the ground, ready to blossom. The Conservatives? Yes, they may have been back then suffering for the burdening label 'nasty party'. Yet, under Cameron, there was no denying they had regained some credibility no other parties seemed to possess. The LibDem? Please! Remember the 'Clegg-mania'? You could have thought this could have been the trigger to a true rebirth of the Liberal movement... Yet, Clegg failed miserably in his role and so the LibDem have been going downhill ever since then. Forget them! As for the Labour, who forgot their intestine war Blair-Brown and the struggles of Brown to keep hold of the electorate? Thinking back, it may be no wonder they steered back towards the radical left; yet the radical left was exactly what had sent them into the wilderness during the whole Thatcher era... As such, who could dare claiming the Corbyn disaster, an attempt to repeat history, was everything but unexpected? Even the massive discontent with our oligarchs can be traced back to the public expenses scandal, which was already plaguing these 2010 elections!
What about Brexit, then? Ha! Brexit... Well, this too. Between the EU reckless monetary policies and their disastrous impacts for instance in Greece, you would be in serious denial to accuse the electorate of having been stupid for telling it to toss off! Agree or disagree with the result of the referendum. Think or not that it was a bad gamble from Cameron. Shake your head in disbelief wondering how our leaders could have f. up the Brexit process so badly if you want to. But don't bury your head in the sand: there were indeed some relevant arguments in favour of leaving. The seeds were there.
Now, this may be the epic diary of a troublesome campaign dating back a decade ago; but reading it nowadays and looking back, well, the train crash of 2019 surely glows with a new light. Does it matter? Well... My two pennies: no. No, because it's politics, and as always with politics: lessons never get learnt.
Forget Brexit for now. Rewind it all up until the surprising and as unexpected elections of 2010, and you will see that when it comes to our actual political landscape most seeds were then already planted in the ground, ready to blossom. The Conservatives? Yes, they may have been back then suffering for the burdening label 'nasty party'. Yet, under Cameron, there was no denying they had regained some credibility no other parties seemed to possess. The LibDem? Please! Remember the 'Clegg-mania'? You could have thought this could have been the trigger to a true rebirth of the Liberal movement... Yet, Clegg failed miserably in his role and so the LibDem have been going downhill ever since then. Forget them! As for the Labour, who forgot their intestine war Blair-Brown and the struggles of Brown to keep hold of the electorate? Thinking back, it may be no wonder they steered back towards the radical left; yet the radical left was exactly what had sent them into the wilderness during the whole Thatcher era... As such, who could dare claiming the Corbyn disaster, an attempt to repeat history, was everything but unexpected? Even the massive discontent with our oligarchs can be traced back to the public expenses scandal, which was already plaguing these 2010 elections!
What about Brexit, then? Ha! Brexit... Well, this too. Between the EU reckless monetary policies and their disastrous impacts for instance in Greece, you would be in serious denial to accuse the electorate of having been stupid for telling it to toss off! Agree or disagree with the result of the referendum. Think or not that it was a bad gamble from Cameron. Shake your head in disbelief wondering how our leaders could have f. up the Brexit process so badly if you want to. But don't bury your head in the sand: there were indeed some relevant arguments in favour of leaving. The seeds were there.
Now, this may be the epic diary of a troublesome campaign dating back a decade ago; but reading it nowadays and looking back, well, the train crash of 2019 surely glows with a new light. Does it matter? Well... My two pennies: no. No, because it's politics, and as always with politics: lessons never get learnt.
May 15, 2015
Disappointing rambly book about the 2010 UK election In light of the recent UK election, I had meant to read this sooner as a primer to the actual Election Day (which I didn't really follow anyway). I had been really into that election while waiting for the US midterms to come and it was interesting to watch the "coalition government" (which I don't have much experience in seeing, being in the US and too young to remember anything similar).
It sounded like an interesting premise: the election plus the first two years of a a coalition, with the Tory in the majority and the Liberal Democrats as the minority partner. Unfortunately, it doesn't turn out that way. I was not familiar with either author and thought the introduction showed promise.
So imagine my disappointment at how tedious the writing was. Even in the first chapter the plotlines jump around between the three main rivals--Gordon Brown (then Prime Minister) David Cameron and Nick Clegg. There wasn't much transition between the three, and while I understand the authors were trying to get all three men (since their individual stories are obviously all intertwined) in, but it made for jumpy reading.
It's a GREAT story, but these two are not the ones that could best bring it to life. I had not realized these authors are journalists (both for Sky News at the time), but it looks like my reading preference to NOT read books by journalists extend to books written by UK reporters too. I don't believe I'm very familiar with either of their work, but the book is just downright boring.
Might be good for a UK political student, but for someone who has a more casual interest, this isn't a great read.
It sounded like an interesting premise: the election plus the first two years of a a coalition, with the Tory in the majority and the Liberal Democrats as the minority partner. Unfortunately, it doesn't turn out that way. I was not familiar with either author and thought the introduction showed promise.
So imagine my disappointment at how tedious the writing was. Even in the first chapter the plotlines jump around between the three main rivals--Gordon Brown (then Prime Minister) David Cameron and Nick Clegg. There wasn't much transition between the three, and while I understand the authors were trying to get all three men (since their individual stories are obviously all intertwined) in, but it made for jumpy reading.
It's a GREAT story, but these two are not the ones that could best bring it to life. I had not realized these authors are journalists (both for Sky News at the time), but it looks like my reading preference to NOT read books by journalists extend to books written by UK reporters too. I don't believe I'm very familiar with either of their work, but the book is just downright boring.
Might be good for a UK political student, but for someone who has a more casual interest, this isn't a great read.
October 15, 2022
This certainly made interesting reading 12 years after it was written. It has aged very well and is a remarkably insightful first take on the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition that took office after the 2010 General Election.
The early chapters are a very clear record of the build-up to the election, the election itself and, especially, the negotiations between the parties that followed it. It captures the naïveté of the Liberal Democrats in not foreseeing the huge political damage going into coalition with the Conservatives would do. You can forgive the authors for not seeing the full full extent of the calamity that would befall the Liberal Democrats five years later. Student tuition fees do not get a single mention in the book, yet it was the betrayal of the pledge not to increase them that doomed the Liberal Democrats.
It could have done without the superfluous chapter on David Cameron and his travels.
The early chapters are a very clear record of the build-up to the election, the election itself and, especially, the negotiations between the parties that followed it. It captures the naïveté of the Liberal Democrats in not foreseeing the huge political damage going into coalition with the Conservatives would do. You can forgive the authors for not seeing the full full extent of the calamity that would befall the Liberal Democrats five years later. Student tuition fees do not get a single mention in the book, yet it was the betrayal of the pledge not to increase them that doomed the Liberal Democrats.
It could have done without the superfluous chapter on David Cameron and his travels.
January 16, 2016
I picked this up because it felt as though the UK was heading for another hung parliament in 2015 and I wanted to refresh my memory of how it all played out in 2010. As it happened, there wasn't a hung parliament, but it was still good revision.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews