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5 Days in May: The Coalition and Beyond
In the wake of the inconclusive May 2010 general election Lord Adonis and other senior Labour figures sat down for talks with the Liberal Democrat leadership to try to persuade them to govern Britain together in a Lib Lab coalition. The talks ultimately resulted in failure for Labour amid recriminations on both sides and the accusation that the Lib Dems had conducted a dutch auction, inviting Labour to outbid the Tories on a shopping list of demands. Despite calls for him to give his own account of this historic sequence of events, Adonis has kept his own counsel until now. Published to coincide with the third anniversary of the general election that would eventually produce an historic first coalition government since the Second World War, 5 Days In May is a remarkable and important insider account of the dramatic negotiations that led to its formation. It also offers the author's views on what the future holds as the run-up to the next election begins. 5 Days in May presents a unique eyewitness account of a pivotal moment in political history.
206 pages, Hardcover
First published May 6, 2013
5 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Adonis
22 books3 followersAndrew Adonis, Baron Adonis, PC is a British Labour Party politician and journalist who served in HM Government for five years in the Blair ministry and the Brown ministry. He served as Secretary of State for Transport from 2009 to 2010, and as Chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission from 2015 to 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 16, 2013
The day Nick Clegg got the Single Transferable Vote…
Labour peer Andrew Adonis gives us his account of the negotiations that followed the UK General election of 2010, when no party won enough seats to form a Government alone. Although not published till now, Adonis explains that the book was written near-contemporaneously and that shows through in the anger and frustration that seeps from the pages.
(For non-UK based people, coalition government is highly unusual in Britain and not much liked. The Lib-Dems, who held the balance of power, stunned many, not least their own members, by being willing to deal with the Conservatives and back an austerity plan that they had consistently campaigned against in the run up to the election. The Labour party was divided – they had comprehensively lost the election, but should they hand over to the Conservatives, their traditional class enemies, who planned major cuts in public services, or should they try to form a coalition of the ‘losers’ to keep the Brown/Darling recovery plan on track? It’s hard to explain to anyone who isn’t a UK political junkie how those 5 days played out and how they changed some of the political certainties in Britain, perhaps for ever.)
The book is short and the main part concentrates entirely on the negotiations – Adonis assumes that readers understand the background and the main political and economic questions of the time. We get a vivid, sympathetic view of the Labour team and of the much-maligned Gordon Brown. The Conservatives are only in the background (since Labour obviously wasn’t negotiating with them) and the Lib-Dems don’t come out of the whole sorry episode well – Adonis (once a Lib-Dem himself) can’t stop some of his bitterness showing through at their turn to the right. It’s a very readable account, not bogged down with some of the self-aggrandising that can be a feature of political memoirs, and the reader gets a real feel for the stress and exhaustion in the Labour camp.
In the last 40 pages, Adonis looks back at his account with the benefit of distance and is endearingly honest about his own bias in the first, contemporaneous section.
‘5 days in May was written in the heat of battle. Re-reading it after nearly three years, it reminds me of a general’s despatch after one of Britain’s all too common defeats in the Napoleonic wars, dictated while the smoke was still swirling and the dead and maimed being taken off the field. It is vivid, partisan, and angry about the perfidy of Albion’s supposed allies, in this case Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems.’
Adonis assesses why the Lib-Dems acted as they did, concluding that both Clegg and David Laws (their chief negotiator) were always more right-wing than they seemed or than the rest of their party. He also discusses the benefits or otherwise of coalition and concludes that Labour must keep the door open to a future coalition with the Lib Dems, however bitter that pill would be to swallow, but must first and foremost try to win outright.
I found this an excellent read, biased yes (but then I’m on the same side as Adonis so that didn’t bother me too much) but revealing and blessedly short and to the point. Is it still a democracy when one man (in this case Nick Clegg) gets to decide who will govern for five years regardless of pre-election promises? A question that will become more and more relevant in Britain as the old two-party system fades further into the distance with each passing year. Highly recommended for left-leaning UK political nerds – not sure how interesting it will be to other people though!
PS I had to laugh at the subliminal advertising on the book jacket – Brown faded into the background, then Clegg, then Cameron; and finally, right at the front, Ed Miliband! A triumph of hope over experience, perhaps?
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Labour peer Andrew Adonis gives us his account of the negotiations that followed the UK General election of 2010, when no party won enough seats to form a Government alone. Although not published till now, Adonis explains that the book was written near-contemporaneously and that shows through in the anger and frustration that seeps from the pages.
(For non-UK based people, coalition government is highly unusual in Britain and not much liked. The Lib-Dems, who held the balance of power, stunned many, not least their own members, by being willing to deal with the Conservatives and back an austerity plan that they had consistently campaigned against in the run up to the election. The Labour party was divided – they had comprehensively lost the election, but should they hand over to the Conservatives, their traditional class enemies, who planned major cuts in public services, or should they try to form a coalition of the ‘losers’ to keep the Brown/Darling recovery plan on track? It’s hard to explain to anyone who isn’t a UK political junkie how those 5 days played out and how they changed some of the political certainties in Britain, perhaps for ever.)
The book is short and the main part concentrates entirely on the negotiations – Adonis assumes that readers understand the background and the main political and economic questions of the time. We get a vivid, sympathetic view of the Labour team and of the much-maligned Gordon Brown. The Conservatives are only in the background (since Labour obviously wasn’t negotiating with them) and the Lib-Dems don’t come out of the whole sorry episode well – Adonis (once a Lib-Dem himself) can’t stop some of his bitterness showing through at their turn to the right. It’s a very readable account, not bogged down with some of the self-aggrandising that can be a feature of political memoirs, and the reader gets a real feel for the stress and exhaustion in the Labour camp.
In the last 40 pages, Adonis looks back at his account with the benefit of distance and is endearingly honest about his own bias in the first, contemporaneous section.
‘5 days in May was written in the heat of battle. Re-reading it after nearly three years, it reminds me of a general’s despatch after one of Britain’s all too common defeats in the Napoleonic wars, dictated while the smoke was still swirling and the dead and maimed being taken off the field. It is vivid, partisan, and angry about the perfidy of Albion’s supposed allies, in this case Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems.’
Adonis assesses why the Lib-Dems acted as they did, concluding that both Clegg and David Laws (their chief negotiator) were always more right-wing than they seemed or than the rest of their party. He also discusses the benefits or otherwise of coalition and concludes that Labour must keep the door open to a future coalition with the Lib Dems, however bitter that pill would be to swallow, but must first and foremost try to win outright.
I found this an excellent read, biased yes (but then I’m on the same side as Adonis so that didn’t bother me too much) but revealing and blessedly short and to the point. Is it still a democracy when one man (in this case Nick Clegg) gets to decide who will govern for five years regardless of pre-election promises? A question that will become more and more relevant in Britain as the old two-party system fades further into the distance with each passing year. Highly recommended for left-leaning UK political nerds – not sure how interesting it will be to other people though!
PS I had to laugh at the subliminal advertising on the book jacket – Brown faded into the background, then Clegg, then Cameron; and finally, right at the front, Ed Miliband! A triumph of hope over experience, perhaps?
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
November 19, 2013
5 days in May is an account from a Labour insider of the events which led to the formation of the Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition in the aftermath of the May 2010 UK general election. As a voter in this election I was interested in how we ended up with a government which was not an option on the ballot paper and a seemingly unnatural alliance of right-wing and liberal parties. My review is written from this perspective.
What I read did not please me and made me question how democratic the system really is. The most galling aspect was how little influence the voting public actually has on who gets into government when there is no outright majority and how marginalised voters preference was during the discussions between the parties. Essentially there was an election, no single party won, so the leaders of the three main parties just decided between them who would get in!
The emphasis in the discussions appeared to be the survival of the political parties, their future, the career of individual politicians, and their respective parties’ current appetite for power. Voters’ preference appeared almost as an inconvenient minor consideration. Here Nick Clegg came across particularly poorly, with decisions seemingly largely based on his personal dislike of Gordon Brown and his concealed in the lead up to the election, right-wing economic views. Some Labour politicians were also described as not having the stamina or enthusiasm for another term in power, which is quite frankly sickening when you have citizens voting for you to fight to get in.
As I read I just could not shake the sense that there was such a huge disconnect between the nation democratically deciding who gets to govern and the reality of what was happening. The fact that individuals have such sway in the ultimate conclusion does not sit well and undermines everyone that has taken the time to vote. This book did nothing to dispel the common popular opinion that at the highest level, politics is a bunch of disingenuous white male millionaires playing a game between themselves, removed from the general populace.
Another interesting aspect was that representatives of the Queen were constantly hovering around the discussions, awaiting a conclusion. The fact that someone who has inherited her position of power has any involvement whatsoever, however nominal, also does not reflect well on a process which is supposed to be democratic.
Whichever party you back, there is something severely wrong with this picture.
What I read did not please me and made me question how democratic the system really is. The most galling aspect was how little influence the voting public actually has on who gets into government when there is no outright majority and how marginalised voters preference was during the discussions between the parties. Essentially there was an election, no single party won, so the leaders of the three main parties just decided between them who would get in!
The emphasis in the discussions appeared to be the survival of the political parties, their future, the career of individual politicians, and their respective parties’ current appetite for power. Voters’ preference appeared almost as an inconvenient minor consideration. Here Nick Clegg came across particularly poorly, with decisions seemingly largely based on his personal dislike of Gordon Brown and his concealed in the lead up to the election, right-wing economic views. Some Labour politicians were also described as not having the stamina or enthusiasm for another term in power, which is quite frankly sickening when you have citizens voting for you to fight to get in.
As I read I just could not shake the sense that there was such a huge disconnect between the nation democratically deciding who gets to govern and the reality of what was happening. The fact that individuals have such sway in the ultimate conclusion does not sit well and undermines everyone that has taken the time to vote. This book did nothing to dispel the common popular opinion that at the highest level, politics is a bunch of disingenuous white male millionaires playing a game between themselves, removed from the general populace.
Another interesting aspect was that representatives of the Queen were constantly hovering around the discussions, awaiting a conclusion. The fact that someone who has inherited her position of power has any involvement whatsoever, however nominal, also does not reflect well on a process which is supposed to be democratic.
Whichever party you back, there is something severely wrong with this picture.
October 31, 2015
A must read for any British politicoes. This book explores the negotiations between the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats in the aftermath of the 2010 General Election, shedding some light on what would be otherwise unheard.
March 6, 2021
I'm not saying that this is the best book ever, and I'm sure that it's very partisan, but it does give very interesting insights into what went on behind the scenes in May 2010, and why it was probably a foregone conclusion (for slightly distasteful and fatuous reasons) that the Lib Dems allied themselves to the Tories and not the Labour Party. In the light of all that has happened since, it this may all seem arcane, but it is fascinating in places, nonetheless. An excellent book for anyone interested in Politics.
January 7, 2024
This book gives a fascinating account of events surrounding the 2010 UK election that is ideal for political nerds like myself. I really feel the postscript added well into the term of the coalition does an excellent job of putting everything into perspective.
Would recommend.
Would recommend.
September 3, 2025
Adonis' 5 Days In May has notable reflections on Clegg+how to build real coalition, but Wilson+Laws' accounts clearly needed for real story.
December 29, 2014
The 2010 UK parliamentary elections ended with no party winning an outright majority. Existing prime minister Gordon Brown's Labour Party came second, and if they formed a coalition with the third-place Liberal Democrats they'd collectively have more seats than the Conservatives, but still not enough for an outright majority without the support of some of the smaller parties too. Brown, however, was convinced that "The Numbers" did in fact add up for them. Certain peculiarities of the UK system (e.g. the Sinn Féin MPs never actually voting), plus the likelihood that most of the main Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish parties would much more likely vote with Labour, or abstain on key votes, could indeed make a Lab/Lib agreement work. All they had to do was convince the Lib Dems that Labour would be a better partner than the Conservatives. And thus began the "5 Days in May", when the UK waited impatiently to hear who would form its new government.
This is an insider's view, written by one of Labour's senior negotiators, who himself had previously been a Liberal Democrat MP. The first three-quarters was written in contemporaneously in 2010; the final few chapters three years later. In theory, then, this should be full of great insight: lots of behind-the-scenes insider detail, coupled with a few years of reflection on what went wrong.
It's not.
Although he pauses to explain some of the key insider-jargon along the way (“The Clegg Doctrine”, “Doing a Salmond”, etc), the book is mostly written for people who already have a lot of context; it jumps straight in to election night and provides almost no scene-setting or background. For example, a note that Brown “wasn’t angry as at Rochdale” is given an explanatory aside of “[after his inadvertently recorded ‘bigot’ remarks about Mrs Duffy]” which is helpful for those that might remember the event, but not that it was in Rochdale, but not of much value to anyone who has no idea at all what this is about, or who have a vague remembrance of it from the news at the time, but aren’t really aware of its relevance, or importance. As an interested outsider, I know some of this, but I’m sure there are a great many nuances I completely missed, particularly when it comes to the relationships between key individuals.
A key stumbling block in the negotiations is in the figure of Brown himself. And whilst some of the history between him and Clegg is drawn out, it always seems that there’s a lot left unsaid. This is doubly so for the relationships within the Labour Party itself. Several key figures (including Brown’s predecessor Tony Blair) argue that they should just accept defeat, and over the five days start saying so increasingly publicly. As Brown’s “Numbers” barely even add up with complete Labour support, the Liberal Democrats take this as a warning sign that Labour’s own internal divisions would rip any deal apart. Yet Adonis barely touches at all on the background to any of this, other rolling it all up in the idea that many were simply exhausted, demoralised, and resigned to defeat anyway. Even his “three years later” reflections come across more like political positioning for the next election (place most of the blame with Brown, so as not to be personally tainted by previous close association; emphasise that he has moved away from his previous position that coalition governments are probably a better thing than an outright majority, now that it’s clear everyone thinks this one's been a disaster; but hedge your bets in case the next government might still need to be a coalition anyway, by spelling out what the minority party in a true coalition should get, and why the LibDems didn't in this case; etc) rather than particularly insightful reflections on the previous one.
Whether he’s just too close to the issues, or too self-serving, or even just not a good enough story teller, I’m not sure. I suspect it’s all of these, and that this is just the nature of the political memoir: at least from those still politically active. But for now this is probably best read alongside its equivalents from the other parties (22 Days in May / 5 Days To Power), until someone crafts the definitive story from all of them.
This is an insider's view, written by one of Labour's senior negotiators, who himself had previously been a Liberal Democrat MP. The first three-quarters was written in contemporaneously in 2010; the final few chapters three years later. In theory, then, this should be full of great insight: lots of behind-the-scenes insider detail, coupled with a few years of reflection on what went wrong.
It's not.
Although he pauses to explain some of the key insider-jargon along the way (“The Clegg Doctrine”, “Doing a Salmond”, etc), the book is mostly written for people who already have a lot of context; it jumps straight in to election night and provides almost no scene-setting or background. For example, a note that Brown “wasn’t angry as at Rochdale” is given an explanatory aside of “[after his inadvertently recorded ‘bigot’ remarks about Mrs Duffy]” which is helpful for those that might remember the event, but not that it was in Rochdale, but not of much value to anyone who has no idea at all what this is about, or who have a vague remembrance of it from the news at the time, but aren’t really aware of its relevance, or importance. As an interested outsider, I know some of this, but I’m sure there are a great many nuances I completely missed, particularly when it comes to the relationships between key individuals.
A key stumbling block in the negotiations is in the figure of Brown himself. And whilst some of the history between him and Clegg is drawn out, it always seems that there’s a lot left unsaid. This is doubly so for the relationships within the Labour Party itself. Several key figures (including Brown’s predecessor Tony Blair) argue that they should just accept defeat, and over the five days start saying so increasingly publicly. As Brown’s “Numbers” barely even add up with complete Labour support, the Liberal Democrats take this as a warning sign that Labour’s own internal divisions would rip any deal apart. Yet Adonis barely touches at all on the background to any of this, other rolling it all up in the idea that many were simply exhausted, demoralised, and resigned to defeat anyway. Even his “three years later” reflections come across more like political positioning for the next election (place most of the blame with Brown, so as not to be personally tainted by previous close association; emphasise that he has moved away from his previous position that coalition governments are probably a better thing than an outright majority, now that it’s clear everyone thinks this one's been a disaster; but hedge your bets in case the next government might still need to be a coalition anyway, by spelling out what the minority party in a true coalition should get, and why the LibDems didn't in this case; etc) rather than particularly insightful reflections on the previous one.
Whether he’s just too close to the issues, or too self-serving, or even just not a good enough story teller, I’m not sure. I suspect it’s all of these, and that this is just the nature of the political memoir: at least from those still politically active. But for now this is probably best read alongside its equivalents from the other parties (22 Days in May / 5 Days To Power), until someone crafts the definitive story from all of them.
July 22, 2014
Andrew 'Lord' Adonis is a middle-aged man who sounds a bit like Jools Holland. Unlike Jools, sadly, he hasn't been content to restrict himself to adding innappropriate boogie-woogie piano fills to live pop music performances. After a few years as a policy advisor, Adonis was elevated to the Lords during the fag-end years of the Blair administration in order to oversee New Labour's education reforms. City Academies were the result, meaning Michael Gove is basically his fault. More recently, as Gordon Brown's (unelected) Transport Secretary, he became cheerleader-in-chief for the egregious HS2 project. In government, he was a proponent of ideas for ideas' sake, an adovcate of pointless reforms, a perculiarly monosynaptic one-man think-tank. As political CVs go, Adonis's is hardly impressive; Jools Holland would have probably done less damage to life in the UK if he'd taken ermine.
5 Days in May is Adonis's account of the negotiations which took place after the 2010 general election as both main parties attempted to court Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats. Adonis was there, and he draws on his experience to provide a competent account of the horse-trading which went on. The result is a little dry in places-for a short book, it can feel remarkably long-but it holds the reader's attention and offers a tantalising glimpse of what might have been. At times, it appears that the author's proximity to events might have dampened his objectivity. That Gordon Brown comes across as a decent man under difficult circumstances is unsurprising. He was Adonis's boss, after all, and the authors gratitude for his, mostly, undeservered place at the heart of power has to be worth something. What's more striking is Adonis's relectant to put the boot into Nick Clegg. Reading between the lines, the Liberal Democrat leader and future Deputy PM, is an unprincipled bully but this isn't made explicit in the book. Either Adonis is a master of understated allusion, or he's got one eye on a Lib-Lab coalition after the 2015 general election. Reading this, it's hard to escape the impression that this is what Adonis, a one-time SDP apparatchik, secretly wants.
This isn't a bad book but it's evidence rather than entertainment. Reading it, I found myself longing for the first series of Borgen.
5 Days in May is Adonis's account of the negotiations which took place after the 2010 general election as both main parties attempted to court Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats. Adonis was there, and he draws on his experience to provide a competent account of the horse-trading which went on. The result is a little dry in places-for a short book, it can feel remarkably long-but it holds the reader's attention and offers a tantalising glimpse of what might have been. At times, it appears that the author's proximity to events might have dampened his objectivity. That Gordon Brown comes across as a decent man under difficult circumstances is unsurprising. He was Adonis's boss, after all, and the authors gratitude for his, mostly, undeservered place at the heart of power has to be worth something. What's more striking is Adonis's relectant to put the boot into Nick Clegg. Reading between the lines, the Liberal Democrat leader and future Deputy PM, is an unprincipled bully but this isn't made explicit in the book. Either Adonis is a master of understated allusion, or he's got one eye on a Lib-Lab coalition after the 2015 general election. Reading this, it's hard to escape the impression that this is what Adonis, a one-time SDP apparatchik, secretly wants.
This isn't a bad book but it's evidence rather than entertainment. Reading it, I found myself longing for the first series of Borgen.
August 10, 2013
Excellent account of the tragically missed opportunity that was the inconclusive election of 2010. Adonis, possibly the most reasonable person in politics, meticulously takes you through the various moves of those key days. Despite claiming bias, he presents the details calmly for you to judge, possibly a legacy of having been a Lib-Dem. Sadly, it all appears to be true: Nick's preference for Cameron; their shared background; an ill-founded dislike of Gordon; a shrewd Conservative negotiating team; a lacklustre and rightist Liberal negotiating team, lacking the people you might expect;the unhelpful British media;the rightward shift of the Liberals etc.. Perhaps the only new fact to emerge is how shaken by the press coverage Gordon appears to have been. Indeed, it seems that he resigned too early, when the possibility of a Lib-Lab coalition was (however tenuously) still in the air and at least, a day or two more might have helped the Liberals form a better Con-Dem coalition (e.g. a major cabinet post, voting reform or agreement on Europe). Very telling though that the Lib-Dem negotiators shared Osborne's view of the Economy and not the Darling-Cable view, while Nick is apparently "bored by Economics" and the Darling-Cable was meeting was deliberately delayed. There does seem to have been something of a right-wing coup d'etat within the Liberals. They simply weren't the same party which Ashdown led. Sadly, even he doesn't seem to be the person he was. Despite some encouragement, he appears to join the rubbishing of the Lib-Lab coalition and it is hard not to see this as some kind of revenge for the merry dance Ashdown himself was led by Blair over coalition.
Finally, this tale is gripping like the best Agatha Christie novels and may have earned 5 stars had the ending been different.
Finally, this tale is gripping like the best Agatha Christie novels and may have earned 5 stars had the ending been different.
September 24, 2014
Self-serving (as all political memoirs are), you won't find Adonis admitting to any mistakes or major misjudgements but he does, overall, give a very clear and detailed account of the uncertainty and desperation of Labour's doomed-from-the-start efforts to negotiate a coalition with the Lib Dems.
What Adonis writes largely rings true. Gordon Brown's clumsiest of human touches and his edgy, urgent need and instinct to cling to power are obvious. And his account (second-hand as it may be) of Nick Clegg feels just as authentic.
A public schoolboy careful to disguise his extremely privileged upbringing, Adonis' Clegg has been flying the false flag of the centre for years despite being a natural Tory. Clegg and many of his inner circle as come across as fundamentally dishonest, power-crazed and yet, in the end, fall flat on their faces.
Only once does Adonis write something obviously ridiculous - the monumentally stupid claim that the Lib Dems concerns about building a coalition with Labour were partly due to the damage Iraq had done to the government must be nonsense because by May 2010 Iraq was "long past" as a political issue. Complete gibberish, that one, especially since it coloured every discussion of what to do about Syria in August 2013.
The final quarter of the book is devoted to a look back at the first three years of the coalition and to presenting a very strong case that the Lib Dems and Clegg are largely irrelevant and are in that position thanks to their own boneheadedness.
Filled with little details like the negotiatirs texting across the table mid-meeting, the farciacal attempts to keep meetings quiet, the late night texts and phonecalls from Paddy Ashdown Adonis' account mixes the persoanl and the political very well. Just don't listen to him if he ever mentions Iraq again.
What Adonis writes largely rings true. Gordon Brown's clumsiest of human touches and his edgy, urgent need and instinct to cling to power are obvious. And his account (second-hand as it may be) of Nick Clegg feels just as authentic.
A public schoolboy careful to disguise his extremely privileged upbringing, Adonis' Clegg has been flying the false flag of the centre for years despite being a natural Tory. Clegg and many of his inner circle as come across as fundamentally dishonest, power-crazed and yet, in the end, fall flat on their faces.
Only once does Adonis write something obviously ridiculous - the monumentally stupid claim that the Lib Dems concerns about building a coalition with Labour were partly due to the damage Iraq had done to the government must be nonsense because by May 2010 Iraq was "long past" as a political issue. Complete gibberish, that one, especially since it coloured every discussion of what to do about Syria in August 2013.
The final quarter of the book is devoted to a look back at the first three years of the coalition and to presenting a very strong case that the Lib Dems and Clegg are largely irrelevant and are in that position thanks to their own boneheadedness.
Filled with little details like the negotiatirs texting across the table mid-meeting, the farciacal attempts to keep meetings quiet, the late night texts and phonecalls from Paddy Ashdown Adonis' account mixes the persoanl and the political very well. Just don't listen to him if he ever mentions Iraq again.
March 25, 2014
Fascinating book about the formation of the Conservative/Lib-Dem coalition government, told from from a Labour insider's point of view. Andrew Adonis was a senior Labour politician near the center of Labour's negotiations, and is apparently keen to ensure that history is not always written by the victors. The major part of the book is an engrossing account of the 5 days, complete with the deals, sniping, politicking and big characters that you would expect, and this was written shortly after the events related, even though Adonis didn't wish to publish then.
After that there are two short essays written three years later, which give a very interesting perspective on the events. In reading the book, I felt that (Lib Dem leader) Nick Clegg and senior Lib Dems idealogically would have rather been with Labour, but felt that tying themselves to an unpopular party, weary from 13 years of government, might have been very damaging. In the later essay, Adonis believes that Clegg and one of his advisors, David Laws, shared the Tory outlook on an austerity economy (as opposed to the more Keynesian view of Labour, and many Lib Dems), and so cleaved to the Conservatives. In either case, the Lib Dems were at least partially keeping up the Labour negotiations to extract concessions from the Tories.
There is a simmering anger behind Adonis' detached prose, and there is certainly some bias involved too - perhaps some Lib Dem actions are interepreted uncharitably, some Labour arrogance downplayed. Still, it is difficult not to avoid the conclusion that the Lib Dems have probably done worse by throwing in with the Tories.
I applaud Adonis for keeping the book short - its impact is far greater for its brevity. An understatedly passionate, compelling account of real politics in action, a fascinating and important period in UK politics.
After that there are two short essays written three years later, which give a very interesting perspective on the events. In reading the book, I felt that (Lib Dem leader) Nick Clegg and senior Lib Dems idealogically would have rather been with Labour, but felt that tying themselves to an unpopular party, weary from 13 years of government, might have been very damaging. In the later essay, Adonis believes that Clegg and one of his advisors, David Laws, shared the Tory outlook on an austerity economy (as opposed to the more Keynesian view of Labour, and many Lib Dems), and so cleaved to the Conservatives. In either case, the Lib Dems were at least partially keeping up the Labour negotiations to extract concessions from the Tories.
There is a simmering anger behind Adonis' detached prose, and there is certainly some bias involved too - perhaps some Lib Dem actions are interepreted uncharitably, some Labour arrogance downplayed. Still, it is difficult not to avoid the conclusion that the Lib Dems have probably done worse by throwing in with the Tories.
I applaud Adonis for keeping the book short - its impact is far greater for its brevity. An understatedly passionate, compelling account of real politics in action, a fascinating and important period in UK politics.
March 3, 2014
Andrew Adonis’ account of the interregnum between the 2010 General Election and the formation of the coalition. Captures the intensity of that period and details how Labour could feasibly have formed a coalition with the Lib Dems. Gordon Brown comes out of it particularly well, demonstrating a sharpness of his thinking and force of argument whereas Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems don’t, damned from the start as actively seeking to govern with the Conservatives. (It should of course be remembered that this is a shamelessly partisan Labour account).
Adonis has an excellent eye for detail on the mistakes Labour made at the time (and before), particularly with regards to Clegg’s background and that they failed to realise he’s essentially a pro-European Tory by inclination. Has to be read with the consideration that it’s self-admittedly shamelessly partial, but essential to anyone interested in modern British politics and the later postscript is a thoughtful take on the consequences of what happened in those ten days.
Adonis has an excellent eye for detail on the mistakes Labour made at the time (and before), particularly with regards to Clegg’s background and that they failed to realise he’s essentially a pro-European Tory by inclination. Has to be read with the consideration that it’s self-admittedly shamelessly partial, but essential to anyone interested in modern British politics and the later postscript is a thoughtful take on the consequences of what happened in those ten days.
October 20, 2013
This book about the immediate aftermath of the British election in 2010 confirms what I think about Nick Clegg - right wing, weak and inexperienced. At the same time Labour carries some blame for not being determined to keep the Tories out. I suppose even insiders didn't realise the extent of the damage they were planning to inflict, or how weak the Liberals would be in restraining them. One point Adonis doesn't cover is the weakness of their party base in this, surprising given that they are supposed to be activists. Out of all that progressive sentiment, we only get one serious public dissenter (the MP Sarah Teather) who seems to have been immediately sidelined. I suppose there has been some opposition in the House of Lords, but all they have done is delay things. Yet while Ed Davey has been reasonably good as energy minister, Vince Cable has achieved nothing at all. I can't imagine how any progressive people who supported the Liberal-Democrats in 2010 could ever do so again.
June 7, 2013
A good account of those key 5 days following the 2010 election by one of the Labour team. Much of it was written at the time. Added to that material, he gives his thoughts on both the formation of this coalition and how to do it better i future - should it be needed.
It makes clear that Labour were defeatist in 2010 going into the election, had done no preparation to enter into coalition talks - unlike Cameron - and then struggled to seize the initiative. He seeks to blame Clegg for a lot. My reading of it is that he very clearly understand it was Labour that blew it, not Clegg.
Its a brief read - well worth it for those interested in current UK politics.
It makes clear that Labour were defeatist in 2010 going into the election, had done no preparation to enter into coalition talks - unlike Cameron - and then struggled to seize the initiative. He seeks to blame Clegg for a lot. My reading of it is that he very clearly understand it was Labour that blew it, not Clegg.
Its a brief read - well worth it for those interested in current UK politics.
September 21, 2013
An interesting short book from an unusual politician who sits in the centre ground and has close frIends among the Lib Dems and Labour. It's an interesting account of dramatic events played out in private with growing pressure from the media.The Labour side in particular seem to have been exhausted by office and the election campaign. Cameron seems to have been best prepared and ended up with almost everything he could have wanted - including salvation from a terrible election result. The Liberals come out of the tale very badly for me, both in their lack of honesty and their failure to gain any real influence over the future direction of the government.
February 1, 2016
Lord Adonis paints a thrilling and compelling picture of the negotiations, struggles, and back-and-forths which eventually produced a Tory government in May of 2010. Admittedly pro-Labour, nut influenced by Adonis' Liberal background and progressive outlook.
This book is well-written and incredibly instructive as concerns questions of coalition-building, compromise, policy trade-offs, and electoral legitimacy. Definitely a worthwhile read!
This book is well-written and incredibly instructive as concerns questions of coalition-building, compromise, policy trade-offs, and electoral legitimacy. Definitely a worthwhile read!
February 8, 2016
Really easy to read account of what went on in the 5 days after the 2010 election when the Lib Dems decided to go into bed with the Tories. The author argues that they got a poor deal with no major government posts. As their performance in the 2015 election proved it was probably a poor decision by Clegg.
December 31, 2013
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to read yet another account by a politician with no insight. These people are so far removed from ordinary life its scary. Not once in this account does Adonis take any responsibility for the failure of talks with the Lib Dems. It's all their fault - we did nothing wrong! he laments throughout the book. Waste of time.
January 4, 2014
Eye-opening and telling account of the coalition negotiations that doesn't attempt to convince the reader of its impartiality but probably needs to be read in tandem with Conservative
(5 Days to Power) and Lib Dem (22 Days in May) accounts.
(5 Days to Power) and Lib Dem (22 Days in May) accounts.
May 24, 2013
Well written, informative, and insider view of those fateful days in May.
December 6, 2014
Fascinating account of the coalition talks, and an excellent analysis of Labour's challenge over the next few years. Worth a read.
June 19, 2013
Fascinating look at the horse trading after 2010 British general election.
August 17, 2013
A decent read; quite illuminating and gives a different view from the David Law's account.
September 19, 2013
Clear account of the labour side of the 2010 coalition agreement. Whilst there are some subtle judgments, the story seems to be dispassionately told.
January 4, 2014
Brilliant insight into the negotiations that went on after the last election.
September 22, 2014
He can certainly write. Very depressing read, as well as a weird one as I was 9 months pregnant at the time and generally feeling divorced from what was happening in Government...
Currently reading
April 3, 2015Currently re-reading this account of the formation of the coalition five years ago - a topical read!
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