Reflections on Coalition Government
Coalition Working
We all know that something really interesting happened in British politics with the agreement of the Conservatives and Lib-Dems to work in coalition. What is interesting is the reaction. People don’t quite know how to deal with it. We are accustomed to an adversarial approach in politics and in discussion about politics. So, the questions and observations now tend to focus on the differences and potential areas of disagreement.
But it does not need to be that way. For those of us who are engaged in the field of managing disputes and differences at all sorts of levels, whether as mediators or behind the scenes facilitators, the really interesting development will be the extent to which the leaders and the parties can change the language of dialogue and move towards a genuinely collaborative way of discussing the issues and addressing inevitable tensions.
John Sturrock's thoughts on the workings of the coalition government were published as an article in the Scotsman on 1st June 2010 - 'We All Have a Part to Play in Coalition’s Success... Or Failure'.
Parliamentary Coalition Independent Mediator
An intriguing and unheralded intervention in the general election campaign came recently from the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution in London. The Centre suggested that, with the prospect of a “hung” parliament, what we need is a Parliamentary Coalition Independent Mediator.
Although a bit of a mouthful, the general proposition that there may be a role for an independent mediator or mediators to work with party leaders and civil servants in the event that no party gains an overall majority in seats is worth reflecting on.
Further reflections on the role of a Parliamentary Coalition Independent Mediator were published as an article in the Scotsman on 4th May 2010 - 'Mediation Could Help a Hung Parliament to Work for Britain'.
Common Ground in Politics?
Read John Sturrock’s possibly prescient letter in The Times in February...