The British coalition government, formed after the last election between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, has not only survived its first quarter in power but has launched some significant reforms that could change the way Britain is governed.
One immediate and welcome change has been the renewal of the importance of the Cabinet as the central organ of government and confirmation that the prime minister is not an executive president as Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher attempted to become. All major decisions now have to be agreed by both parties in the coalition.
There are a number of issues that will test the ability and willingness of the parties to work together. Right-leaning members of the Conservative Party dislike some of the egalitarian measures on which their Liberal Democrat partners have insisted.