It has come to that time of the week, as both pugilists straighten their ties and position their cufflinks, for the political debate to begin. The crowd rustles expectantly, hoping that every tap of their tense foot will send some of their building energy into the ground. Two key political figures sit up in their seats, staring determinedly forward and not letting their eyes move at the speed of their circling thoughts, and both begin to write.
I know, you thought we were talking about Prime Minister’s Questions. Well, we did try to make it sound like that. What we were, rather dramatically, referring to was the debate currently raging between David Laws and Lord Adonis. The New Statesman recently published an article by Laws in retort to Lord Adonis’s review of his new book, 22 Days in May.
22 Days In May is Laws’s account of the formation of our current coalition government and its early days as the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives came together in one of the most unlikely unions in British political history.
Lord Adonis, one of the key Labour negotiators had some reservations with Laws’s portrayal of the events that unfolded in the days following the General Election. Laws responded by countering his claims in his retort in the New Statesman - both said something about each other’s mum - and the debate, about what exactly happened during the negotiations which led to the formation of Britain’s first coalition government in decades, still rages.
Find out what all the fuss is about - 22 Days in May by David Laws is available in paperback and e-book format for £9.99 and £4.60, respectively.