Doesn't the queen have to invite someone to be Prime Minister, or does she only invite them after Parliament nominates them? What does she do if it is hung parliament with coalition in place?
In theory she picks who she will invite to for a government (thus becoming the Prime Minister of it) but since a Prime Minister who doesn't have the support of at least 50% of MPs will instantly lose a vote of no confidence, it has become custom that the person who she invites has the support of the majority of MPs. For a hung Parliment I think Brown stays on until someone can get 50% of MPs to support them then the Queen will appoint him to be PM, then if the coalition collapses they stay on as PM until someone else can get enough support.
Basically, all the Queen does is rubber stamp what has already been decided.
*MySmiley*
Robert Graves "There is no money in poetry, but then there is no poetry in money, either."
Henning Mankell "We must defend the open society, because if we start locking our doors, if we let fear decide, the person who committed the act of terror will win"
Robert Graves "There is no money in poetry, but then there is no poetry in money, either."
Henning Mankell "We must defend the open society, because if we start locking our doors, if we let fear decide, the person who committed the act of terror will win"
British politics is ... like a basket of crazy muffins. But they taste nice.
- 26/04/2010 09:34:57 AM
891 Views
British politics or muffins taste nice? Or both?
- 26/04/2010 10:52:35 AM
600 Views
- 26/04/2010 10:52:35 AM
600 Views
Both 
- 26/04/2010 05:11:54 PM
766 Views
- 26/04/2010 05:11:54 PM
766 Views
Indeed
- 26/04/2010 11:01:30 AM
669 Views
Re: Indeed
- 26/04/2010 11:06:10 AM
588 Views
Didn't mean to put the effectively in there
- 26/04/2010 11:17:20 AM
545 Views
That makes more sense
- 26/04/2010 11:24:33 AM
693 Views
- 26/04/2010 11:24:33 AM
693 Views
Yeah, I follow elections in lots of countries.
- 26/04/2010 11:11:28 AM
715 Views
Re: Yeah, I follow elections in lots of countries.
- 26/04/2010 05:17:55 PM
650 Views
It's all very entertaining.
- 26/04/2010 01:46:25 PM
631 Views
Re: It's all very entertaining.
- 26/04/2010 05:21:25 PM
746 Views
- 28/04/2010 02:49:51 PM
685 Views
- 28/04/2010 02:49:51 PM
685 Views
It works alright when you have a two- or 2½-party system with support divided geographically.
- 26/04/2010 04:40:31 PM
538 Views
Would it really be so bad if the BNP gained seats?
- 26/04/2010 05:03:06 PM
674 Views
I don't have a problem with it as such (I dow ith the fact that people want to vote for them)
- 26/04/2010 05:15:02 PM
728 Views
Re: It works alright when you have a two- or 2½-party system with support divided geographically.
- 26/04/2010 06:14:44 PM
589 Views
Big fucking deal. Coalitions of less than 5 parties = LAME *NM*
- 28/04/2010 12:03:36 AM
248 Views
Rather a bigger deal when it happens in a first past the post system. *NM*
- 28/04/2010 08:20:42 AM
393 Views