The Pact - The Inside Story of the Lib-Lab Government, 1977-1978

In 1977 Prime Minister James Callaghan and Liberal leader David Steel struck a constitutional deal, by which the Labour government could survive a vote of no confidence and get its business through Parliament, while the Liberals gained access to the anterooms of power. The Pact , a contemporaneous account of the hatching and workings of the 'Lib-Lab' deal of 1977-8, is an invaluable time-capsule of British politics but also a pointer to its future. Coalition government has oft been scorned in Britain, since - as Alistair Michie and Simon Hoggart note - the main parties regard their opponents chiefly as 'targets off which points may be scored'. But hung parliaments and inter-party deals, as revived in May of 2010, may be back to stay. This new edition of The Pact , in memory of its co-author Simon Hoggart (1946-2014), includes new prefaces by David Steel, Roy Hattersley, and the journalist Stephen Bush.

Product details

• Authors: Simon Hoggart, Alistai Michie, Alistair Michie, Michie Alistair
• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 30.04.2015
• EAN: 9780571324989
• ISBN: 978-0-571-32498-9
• No. of pages: 192
• Dimensions: 126 mm x 198 mm x 14 mm
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; Fiction > Narrative literature > Main work before 1945; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political administration; Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000, European History, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Affairs & Administration, POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / European, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / 20th Century, British & Irish history, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Later 20th century c 1950 to c 1999, c 1970 to c 1979, c 1970 to c 1980, Central / national / federal government