During the Blair New Labour years in late 90'ies and 00's Britain was Cool Britannia. As of 12th May, Britain has its first realized coalition government since World War II. The Cool Coalition of PM David Cameron/Conservative and Deputy PM Nick Clegg/Liberal Democrat. See The Guardian's interactive overview of the entire cabinet below. Together with the BBC World Q&A overview of political plans for the new coalition government.
The new cabinet's first priority is reportedly to safeguard national security and national economy. One of the first steps is a suggested five percent cut in ministerial salaries, to be frozen for the next five years. Always a nice move to go in front if you are to demand cutbacks for your followers. Another priority is to rebrand the Department for Education - which Labour spent a decade from 1997 to 2007 rebranding from Department for Education and Skills (DfES) into Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) - or nicknamed Department for Curtains and Soft Furnishings by the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats accused Labour of spending 2,6 million pounds in that decade on rebranding and reorganising 11 ministries.
As in any good marriage, another agreement between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats is to keep any differences internally. In practical terms, and with only a minority of five ministers at play, compared to a dominant majority of 19 Conservative ministers, that means that the Lib.Dems will have little chance to voice anything departing from the Conservative party line. Or as political commentator Polly Toynbee puts it in The Guardian:
"The Tories will trample the Lib Dems like a rhino"
Polly Toynbee
At present the marriage of convenience between Conservatives and Lib.Dems seems jolly and sweet, with primarily a reform of the electoral system and the European Union to make cracks in the new found love. But these are also the honeymoon days. Let's see how the realities of married life will work for this new Cool Coalition.
For further information, please see (photo googled, among others found at The Daily Telegraph):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8680407.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8675848.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/interactive/2010/may/12/election-2010-new-cabinet
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/may/13/ministers-pay-cut-frozen