Source: http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/nart?id=161660981.
Manning: British coalition bound to failKeino Swamber South Bureau
Thursday, May 13th 2010
PRIME Minister Patrick Manning says the coalition government formed between the United Kingdom’s Conservatives and Liberal Democrats parties, following last Thursday’s general election, is bound to fail.
Speaking on Wednesday at a People’s National Movement (PNM) political meeting at Jarvis Street, Vistabella, San Fernando, Manning said he formed the conclusion for the simple reason that coalitions are inherently unstable.
Manning is predicting that British citizens will return to the polls within one year.
’For coalition governments to work well, it calls for a certain amount of political maturity,’ Manning said.
Manning told supporters that a coalition ’also calls for a leader whose authority is accepted and respected and, if you don’t have that, you are going to have bacchanal, you’re going to have chaos and you’re going to have confusion’.
He said, ’They must have some kind of agreement on the policy positions that they want to adopt and most policy decisions are based upon some kind of vision upon which they all agree.’
Manning asked whether any agreements on policy had been made among the parties forming the People’s Partnership - the United National Congress (UNC), the Congress of the People (COP), the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP), the National Joint Action Committee (NJAC) and the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ).
’If there is one thing of which we can be certain, is if that group of people are put into government in this country, you’re going to have problems from the word go.’
’Even with an agreement in the United Kingdom, you could confidently predict that the UK will go to a general election within one year. You could predict that from now. It is better to be safe than sorry. So therefore, vote for the People’s National Movement on May 24.’