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Coalition: The Inside Story of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government
When David Cameron and Nick Clegg stepped out into the rose garden at No. 10 to launch the first coalition government since the Second World War, it was amid a sea of uncertainty. Some doubted whether the coalition could survive a full term - or even a full year. Five years later, this bold departure for British politics had weathered storms, spending cuts and military strikes, rows, referendums and riots. In this compelling insider account, David Laws lays bare the inner workings of the coalition government from its birth in 2010 to its demise in 2015. As one of the chief Lib Dem negotiators, Laws had a front-row seat from the very beginning of the parliament. Holding key posts in the heart of government, he was there for the triumphs, the tantrums and the tactical manoeuvrings. Now, he brings this experience to bear, revealing how crucial decisions were made, uncovering the often explosive divisions between and within the coalition parties, and candidly exploring the personalities and positions of the leading players on both sides of the government. Honest, insightful and at times shocking, Coalition shines a powerful light on perhaps the most fascinating political partnership of modern times.
624 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 22, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 27, 2020
Finished this book after a long slog, and for one of my last books of 2020 I feel it is definitely deserving of a rare 5 star review. I’ve read another book on the Coalition years which focused a lot more on Cameron and the Tories, so this book was really interesting to read as an account from the Lib Dem perspective. Overall a well-written and analytical account of the coalition years, highly recommend!
December 24, 2016
Fascinating, albeit a wee bit stodgy in parts. Reading this post Brexit, the scales started to fall from my eyes. David Laws is a prophet and a half! (NB the book was published before the Referendum). Some lovely insights into the workings of government, [govt. at its best probably]. There are some very readable assessments of various characters in this government. The portrait painted of Nick Clegg is rather anodyne: I suspect that DL was a little too close to him to be objective. The author really rates the Queen.
June 24, 2019
A detailed review of the Coalition years. Laws usually acknowledges his biases, though less so when he repeatedly criticises the Labour Party, and the book as a whole appears to be a fairly honest account of the inside workings of the 2010-2015 Government. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is the insight it gives into the personalities and beliefs of many of the key players at the time, from David Cameron to George Osborne to Vince Cable.
July 22, 2016
By a genuine coincidence, I ended up reading David Laws' inside account of the five years of Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition in the UK immediately after reading the book form of Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister - still hilarious after all these years.
Although Coalition hasn't got anywhere near as much in the way of funny bits as the satire, it is genuinely readable despite its wrist-busting 600+ pages. Laws doesn't have a particularly outstanding writing style, but he comes across as genuine and the book is well structured, in relatively short, themed chunks that tend to span across months or years, rather than trying to do the whole thing in a single, chronological bore-fest. (The effectiveness only breaks down at the end, where it could have done with some serious editor's blue pencil, but that's really only in the short postscript.)
I think two things are particularly fascinating. One is to get a better feel for the characters, many of them still in the Conservative government, as people. We get to used to treating politicians as if they were Spitting Image puppets, simply voicing their extreme views and then being put back in the cupboard, resulting in the kind of extremely negative personal comments made to no one's advantage during the recent EU referendum. Here we see people like David Cameron, George Osborne, Michael Gove and Theresa May more as actual people - we see much rounder personalities: if they're funny, how conservative they and, interestingly, how socially liberal some of them are. Perhaps most fascinating of these are Cameron - who comes across sometimes worryingly like Jim Hacker in Yes Prime Minister - Osborne, displaying a surprisingly human side and Gove - who comes across as both likeable and downright weird, prone to distinctly odd behaviour. Obviously, given turns of events since, it is also fascinating to see the trajectory with which many of the key players went into the EU referendum (which was obviously after the book was written, though thoughts about it coming in the future are often referenced).
The other thing that is interesting is, if we believe Laws, how much they all genuinely put a huge amount off effort into keeping a workable coalition going, and achieved a fair number of positive things between 2010 and 2015. There is also a sad inside view of the pretty much total destruction of the Liberal Democrat party as a result, in part, of the electorate simply not understanding how much they had contributed to the coalition.
Of course, this is one person's view - but Laws seems to have been well-placed to give it and it shows us everything from the workings of the senior civil service (capable of the odd Sir Humphrey moment, despite mostly coming across as very efficient) through to the practicalities of government most of us never get to see. Recommended.
Although Coalition hasn't got anywhere near as much in the way of funny bits as the satire, it is genuinely readable despite its wrist-busting 600+ pages. Laws doesn't have a particularly outstanding writing style, but he comes across as genuine and the book is well structured, in relatively short, themed chunks that tend to span across months or years, rather than trying to do the whole thing in a single, chronological bore-fest. (The effectiveness only breaks down at the end, where it could have done with some serious editor's blue pencil, but that's really only in the short postscript.)
I think two things are particularly fascinating. One is to get a better feel for the characters, many of them still in the Conservative government, as people. We get to used to treating politicians as if they were Spitting Image puppets, simply voicing their extreme views and then being put back in the cupboard, resulting in the kind of extremely negative personal comments made to no one's advantage during the recent EU referendum. Here we see people like David Cameron, George Osborne, Michael Gove and Theresa May more as actual people - we see much rounder personalities: if they're funny, how conservative they and, interestingly, how socially liberal some of them are. Perhaps most fascinating of these are Cameron - who comes across sometimes worryingly like Jim Hacker in Yes Prime Minister - Osborne, displaying a surprisingly human side and Gove - who comes across as both likeable and downright weird, prone to distinctly odd behaviour. Obviously, given turns of events since, it is also fascinating to see the trajectory with which many of the key players went into the EU referendum (which was obviously after the book was written, though thoughts about it coming in the future are often referenced).
The other thing that is interesting is, if we believe Laws, how much they all genuinely put a huge amount off effort into keeping a workable coalition going, and achieved a fair number of positive things between 2010 and 2015. There is also a sad inside view of the pretty much total destruction of the Liberal Democrat party as a result, in part, of the electorate simply not understanding how much they had contributed to the coalition.
Of course, this is one person's view - but Laws seems to have been well-placed to give it and it shows us everything from the workings of the senior civil service (capable of the odd Sir Humphrey moment, despite mostly coming across as very efficient) through to the practicalities of government most of us never get to see. Recommended.
May 17, 2017
Laws provides a fascinating first-hand account of the coalition from what is, all things considered, a reasonably objective perspective (he is keenly aware of when he demonstrates favouritism, which abates simplistic accusations of bias). Despite it being a 500 page tome dealing exclusively with high politics, it is an easy read.
The book demonstrates how decisions involving billions of pounds were taken on a whim, often owing to barter trade between the coalition partners. It illustrates the importance of personalities in government - much more so than what they campaigned on during elections, the dynamics between the dramatis personae determines policy outcomes.
Cable emerges as a petulant and immature academic wholly unsuited to reconciling the difficult policy trade offs required in government (or, on the flip side, 'principled' and 'stubbornly optimistic'). As all informed accounts of 2010-5 would, Laws makes an excellent case about how the LDs and Clegg were unfairly punished, but more so than other liberals (especially in the aftermath of Clinton's defeat) he attributes it to a failure of public communication, a lack of hard nosed realpolitik when up against the power-obsessed Tories, and the lack of a distinctive and coherent message in 2015.
The book demonstrates how decisions involving billions of pounds were taken on a whim, often owing to barter trade between the coalition partners. It illustrates the importance of personalities in government - much more so than what they campaigned on during elections, the dynamics between the dramatis personae determines policy outcomes.
Cable emerges as a petulant and immature academic wholly unsuited to reconciling the difficult policy trade offs required in government (or, on the flip side, 'principled' and 'stubbornly optimistic'). As all informed accounts of 2010-5 would, Laws makes an excellent case about how the LDs and Clegg were unfairly punished, but more so than other liberals (especially in the aftermath of Clinton's defeat) he attributes it to a failure of public communication, a lack of hard nosed realpolitik when up against the power-obsessed Tories, and the lack of a distinctive and coherent message in 2015.
September 4, 2022
This is a gripping account of the formation and actions of the coalition government. It is obviously written from a LibDem perspective and others involved in or around the time would probably put a very different slant on things, but it does explain why some of the decisions that were taken by the party were inevitable. Overall, the very decision to go into that coalition appears to be what ultimately cost the Liberal Democrats a significant amount of popularity, and no matter what they did or achieved, the trust they had built up in the years prior to the 2010 election had been broken. Whilst the retelling of the 2015 election is quite moving in some respects, this was written before the EU referendum and obviously the political landscape of Britain has changed significantly since then.
I would recommend this to anybody with an interest in British politics matter what their party allegiance may be.
I would recommend this to anybody with an interest in British politics matter what their party allegiance may be.
May 10, 2017
A very timely commentary and critique on the coalition government written by someone who was right in the middle of it. Laws should be commended for his even handedness although there were still times I don't think he could help but be negative about the Tories and write from the Lib Dem view point. It covered in detail all the major events, much like Antony Seldon's book, but with the additional detail around how decisions were arrived at and how the key personalities interacted. There is also a heavy focus on the Department of Education as Laws served as a minister there. I would like to see a corresponding account by a Conservative to make a full judgement - maybe now that Cameron and Osborne are out of government we may get one.
August 9, 2022
8/10
Really readable and interesting account of the coalition and would definitely recommend.
One thing to say is that David Laws (understandably) is quite defensive of the lib dems in coalition. Although I expected this to some degree, there was always the sense that any opposing argument was a pretty weak straw man. With the benefit of hindsight and the abandonment of austerity, his confidence on the merits of the long term economic plan (and especially his habit of referring to left leaning lib dems as economically illiterate) also seem pretty dated.
Really readable and interesting account of the coalition and would definitely recommend.
One thing to say is that David Laws (understandably) is quite defensive of the lib dems in coalition. Although I expected this to some degree, there was always the sense that any opposing argument was a pretty weak straw man. With the benefit of hindsight and the abandonment of austerity, his confidence on the merits of the long term economic plan (and especially his habit of referring to left leaning lib dems as economically illiterate) also seem pretty dated.
August 2, 2017
Read as part of Bookriot's 2016 Read Harder Challenge for the Read a book about politics, in your country or another (fiction or nonfiction) category.
After reading David Hind's The Magic Kingdom , I knew that I had to read David Laws' memoir sooner than I had anticipated (I have this weird habit of wanting to read all the things, getting books out of the library and then just struggling to pick them up. It's like the anticipation of reading something means more to me than the actual reading of it.), particularly as in the wake of Brexit, only the Lib Dems have come out as being an unequivocally pro-EU party.
Coalition is exactly that, the story of the 2010-2015 coalition government between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. It talks about the early coalition negotiations and showcases a (biased) government initially built on compromise and negotiation, but which became something far more acrimonious by the time of the May election in 2015. Now, it's hard not to sympathise with the Lib Dems while reading this, because they were the real losers in the 2015 election (as evidenced by the fact that they now have only 8 MPs in the House of Commons). They also seemed too nice for the Tories and were often beaten to the punch in terms of announcing policies they had actually championed behind closed doors (such as the raise in the personal tax allowance).
However, I did disagree with Laws on some of his own policies, most notably on the economy. He is clearly a centrist and believes in lowering the amount of state intervention in the economy, which made him an ardent champion of austerity (albeit with a more humane level of welfare cuts than what the Tories were proposing). However, he is extremely critical of any proposals for further borrowing and investment (particularly those coming from Vince Cable), completely enamoured with the idea of "balancing the books" and 100% convinced that Labour were to blame for the "economic mess" following the 2008 financial crisis. I found those parts the hardest to stomach, not least because I feel Laws is grossly underestimating the impact of the bankers on the crisis and because I couldn't see why he maintained that position even in the face of evidence from the IMF that borrowing to invest in infrastructure programmes would lead to growth (it's what the US did).
I also found some of the praise he had for certain Tories in the Cabinet to be downright bizarre, particularly when considering the feedback they received from people working in those industries. I'm referring here to Gove and Morgan, both of whom were Education Secretaries. Gove is particularly reviled for his policy on free schools and academies, which have turned schools into businesses and gambled the lives of children by essentially allowing unqualified teachers to, well, teach. Speak to any teacher or school head in England and the vitriol poured on Gove is near universal. I do think that the Liberal Democrats were a voice in the coalition that really pushed for social justice and change for the most disadvantaged in society, but I also feel there is so much more that could have been done. However, it comes across in Laws' interpretation that there never was an easy choice to make, particularly considering the influence that right-wing media have in the UK (not to mention Cameron's own aversion to anything that wouldn't poll well with the Daily Mail crowd).
The way Laws sees it, the Liberal Democrats were unfairly punished for the way they went back on some of their manifesto pledges (the most notable one being the tuition fee scandal), but it's only in the latter chapters that he actually admits they could have handled that better. The same applies with the decision to compromise on electoral reform by choosing AV, a system that a lot of voters found confusing (particularly since it would mean that a second-placed candidate could win the seat). The recovery of the economy, which Tories exploited to great effect in 2015, is something that Laws believes was brought about due to the coalition's efforts, a view I fundamentally disagree with. His comments on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (describing him as an "extreme left winger") were hilarious and bombastic to say the least. Perhaps though his most intriguing contribution is in his descriptions of Cameron and Osborne, both of whom come across as ruthless career politicians who don't care about anything other than appeasing the party and making a name for themselves. The effects of their policies (such as the bedroom tax) on the poor and the disabled are of no consequences to them and I found myself disgusted with the fact that somehow the nation felt that a man eating a bacon sandwich awkwardly was completely unfit to be Prime Minister and that Cameron was the better option by a mile.
Overall, this is a biased account of the coalition, but a fascinating one nonetheless. To me, it proved that without electoral reform, coalitions are unlikely to happen in the UK in the foreseeable future and that Cameron's political ambitions and his attitude of always being able to get out of a sticky situation have now pushed the UK out of the EU and into 4 years of a right-wing Tory government. I wonder how many people wish they had voted in the Lib Dems in 2015.
After reading David Hind's The Magic Kingdom , I knew that I had to read David Laws' memoir sooner than I had anticipated (I have this weird habit of wanting to read all the things, getting books out of the library and then just struggling to pick them up. It's like the anticipation of reading something means more to me than the actual reading of it.), particularly as in the wake of Brexit, only the Lib Dems have come out as being an unequivocally pro-EU party.
Coalition is exactly that, the story of the 2010-2015 coalition government between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. It talks about the early coalition negotiations and showcases a (biased) government initially built on compromise and negotiation, but which became something far more acrimonious by the time of the May election in 2015. Now, it's hard not to sympathise with the Lib Dems while reading this, because they were the real losers in the 2015 election (as evidenced by the fact that they now have only 8 MPs in the House of Commons). They also seemed too nice for the Tories and were often beaten to the punch in terms of announcing policies they had actually championed behind closed doors (such as the raise in the personal tax allowance).
However, I did disagree with Laws on some of his own policies, most notably on the economy. He is clearly a centrist and believes in lowering the amount of state intervention in the economy, which made him an ardent champion of austerity (albeit with a more humane level of welfare cuts than what the Tories were proposing). However, he is extremely critical of any proposals for further borrowing and investment (particularly those coming from Vince Cable), completely enamoured with the idea of "balancing the books" and 100% convinced that Labour were to blame for the "economic mess" following the 2008 financial crisis. I found those parts the hardest to stomach, not least because I feel Laws is grossly underestimating the impact of the bankers on the crisis and because I couldn't see why he maintained that position even in the face of evidence from the IMF that borrowing to invest in infrastructure programmes would lead to growth (it's what the US did).
I also found some of the praise he had for certain Tories in the Cabinet to be downright bizarre, particularly when considering the feedback they received from people working in those industries. I'm referring here to Gove and Morgan, both of whom were Education Secretaries. Gove is particularly reviled for his policy on free schools and academies, which have turned schools into businesses and gambled the lives of children by essentially allowing unqualified teachers to, well, teach. Speak to any teacher or school head in England and the vitriol poured on Gove is near universal. I do think that the Liberal Democrats were a voice in the coalition that really pushed for social justice and change for the most disadvantaged in society, but I also feel there is so much more that could have been done. However, it comes across in Laws' interpretation that there never was an easy choice to make, particularly considering the influence that right-wing media have in the UK (not to mention Cameron's own aversion to anything that wouldn't poll well with the Daily Mail crowd).
The way Laws sees it, the Liberal Democrats were unfairly punished for the way they went back on some of their manifesto pledges (the most notable one being the tuition fee scandal), but it's only in the latter chapters that he actually admits they could have handled that better. The same applies with the decision to compromise on electoral reform by choosing AV, a system that a lot of voters found confusing (particularly since it would mean that a second-placed candidate could win the seat). The recovery of the economy, which Tories exploited to great effect in 2015, is something that Laws believes was brought about due to the coalition's efforts, a view I fundamentally disagree with. His comments on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (describing him as an "extreme left winger") were hilarious and bombastic to say the least. Perhaps though his most intriguing contribution is in his descriptions of Cameron and Osborne, both of whom come across as ruthless career politicians who don't care about anything other than appeasing the party and making a name for themselves. The effects of their policies (such as the bedroom tax) on the poor and the disabled are of no consequences to them and I found myself disgusted with the fact that somehow the nation felt that a man eating a bacon sandwich awkwardly was completely unfit to be Prime Minister and that Cameron was the better option by a mile.
Overall, this is a biased account of the coalition, but a fascinating one nonetheless. To me, it proved that without electoral reform, coalitions are unlikely to happen in the UK in the foreseeable future and that Cameron's political ambitions and his attitude of always being able to get out of a sticky situation have now pushed the UK out of the EU and into 4 years of a right-wing Tory government. I wonder how many people wish they had voted in the Lib Dems in 2015.
January 2, 2023
A great, inside look for the Liberal Democrat perspective on how the coalition worked.
David Laws writes well, and brings to light the struggles of both being the Lib Dems at the time, as well as being in the coalition with the heavy hitting Conservatives.
David Laws shows that is was not all roses in the rose garden, but both sides engaged in the give-and-take of coalition and came out the other side.
David Laws writes well, and brings to light the struggles of both being the Lib Dems at the time, as well as being in the coalition with the heavy hitting Conservatives.
David Laws shows that is was not all roses in the rose garden, but both sides engaged in the give-and-take of coalition and came out the other side.
June 21, 2017
Completely fascinating and will always be relevant especially during the present time. It gives you a good picture of many of our top politicians, many of whom are still important now.
Would recommend even for people with no Liberal Democrat sympathies. (Actually I would recommend it especially to my Labour friends)
Would recommend even for people with no Liberal Democrat sympathies. (Actually I would recommend it especially to my Labour friends)
May 8, 2017
Good . Again partisan but fair showing what the Libs achieved against much opposition and portraying Cameron as a PM who wanted to do more than his party allowed . Honest about the Libs mistakes too .
October 20, 2017
An interesting book crying out for a much-needed edit. Laws often repeats anecdotes and clichés, which quickly gets tiresome, and ends almost every chapter on the same cadence - "but if only we knew what was coming next", or similar. Presumably it was written in a hurry after the 2015 election
June 26, 2019
A very detailed account of the coalition years from one of Nick Clegg's closest colleagues.
Although Laws is not my kind of liberal, and his disdain for many in the mainstream of the party is self-evident, he does provide a more nuanced account than might otherwise be available.
Although Laws is not my kind of liberal, and his disdain for many in the mainstream of the party is self-evident, he does provide a more nuanced account than might otherwise be available.
November 12, 2017
Confirmed my thoughts on some people, made me think more/less of other figures. Bit too much economic discussion for me - prefer the anecdotal stuff.
July 13, 2019
Really well written and prescient piece on a key period of pre-Brexit history - interesting without being superficial - and gives a great idea of what life as a minister is actually like.
November 7, 2025
Can obviously see the bias in areas but overall good summary and inside experience of the coalition
April 16, 2016
This was ultimately disappointing even though it is an easy read. Structurally the decision to try and blend both a chronological approach with some thematic chapters leads to quite a lot of repetition - we could have had one chapter regarding the problems with vince cable rather than repeating it every time an economic decision came up. Ditto Michael Gove. It could also have done with a proper edit. Foreign policy is given disappointingly little coverage. And of course the book is meant to be the first response of the lib dems - who history will remember more kindly than the voters - who seethe at the idea that they were not given sufficient credit for the coalition. Unfortunately laws tips too far the other way using a nasty trick - direct quotations from meetings he wasn't at so at best he's relying on second hand accounts from one or two sources as verbatim truth. I doubt whether Osborne or the PM would either be that indiscreet or even say some of the things quoted here although they might be what clegg and laws want to believe. We will have to wait some time to get any corrections - unlike laws and co the Tories are still in government and so aren't focuses on posterity yet
April 30, 2018
If you have an interest in politics, and some knowledge of the key policy events of the coalition government, this is an excellent read.
There is, of course, the question mark of just how impartial David Laws has been in his retelling of the way the coalition government dealt with each policy decision, but I certainly feel that I have a better idea of the reasons behind some of the more unpopular decisions made by the Liberal Democrats during their time in coalition with the Conservatives, especially over the reputation-breaking u-turn on tuition fees.
The book has also served to humanise figures which are often demonised in the media and on social media, such as David Cameron, George Osborne and Michael Gove, although - particularly in reference to the Prime Minister - Laws is at times uncompromising in his criticism of these characters, painting a picture of a Prime Minister ruled by populist vote-winning policy-making and not by what is best for the country.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who voted Liberal Democrat in 2010 and then felt betrayed by the party in coalition. Some of what is here may work to change your mind somewhat.
There is, of course, the question mark of just how impartial David Laws has been in his retelling of the way the coalition government dealt with each policy decision, but I certainly feel that I have a better idea of the reasons behind some of the more unpopular decisions made by the Liberal Democrats during their time in coalition with the Conservatives, especially over the reputation-breaking u-turn on tuition fees.
The book has also served to humanise figures which are often demonised in the media and on social media, such as David Cameron, George Osborne and Michael Gove, although - particularly in reference to the Prime Minister - Laws is at times uncompromising in his criticism of these characters, painting a picture of a Prime Minister ruled by populist vote-winning policy-making and not by what is best for the country.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who voted Liberal Democrat in 2010 and then felt betrayed by the party in coalition. Some of what is here may work to change your mind somewhat.
November 11, 2017
A little self-serving and wise after the event, but excellent insight into the workings of government. Cameron comes out of it particularly badly - glib, uncaring, a tactician not a strategist, a curiously insubstantial figure who Laws says had an enthusiasm for making poor people poorer.
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