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
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British politics or muffins taste nice? Or both?
26/04/2010 10:52:35 AM
- 586 Views

Both
26/04/2010 05:11:54 PM
- 754 Views

Indeed
26/04/2010 11:01:30 AM
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Re: Indeed
26/04/2010 11:06:10 AM
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Didn't mean to put the effectively in there
26/04/2010 11:17:20 AM
- 528 Views
That makes more sense
26/04/2010 11:24:33 AM
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Yeah, I follow elections in lots of countries.
26/04/2010 11:11:28 AM
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Re: Yeah, I follow elections in lots of countries.
26/04/2010 05:17:55 PM
- 635 Views
It's all very entertaining.
26/04/2010 01:46:25 PM
- 616 Views
It works alright when you have a two- or 2½-party system with support divided geographically.
26/04/2010 04:40:31 PM
- 521 Views
Would it really be so bad if the BNP gained seats?
26/04/2010 05:03:06 PM
- 660 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
- 718 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
- 573 Views
Big fucking deal. Coalitions of less than 5 parties = LAME *NM*
28/04/2010 12:03:36 AM
- 241 Views
Rather a bigger deal when it happens in a first past the post system. *NM*
28/04/2010 08:20:42 AM
- 387 Views