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Monday 21 May 2012

It's Time to Hug a Lib Dem

Saturday, 8th May 2010

Ben Brogan says that all the talk of the Tories offering three cabinet positions to the Liberal Democrats is premature. I dare say it is. Nevertheless this is a blog and speculation is good for blogging. I rather think we'd have a better* government if Nick Clegg was Home Secretary, David Laws put in charge of Welfare Reform and Lord Ashdown sent to the Ministry of Defence.

This latter clearly won't happen but, whatever you think of his past, Ashdown is an asset who ought to be used by the new government - even if we end up with a minority Tory ministry.

But the Tories ought not to be afraid of coalition. They have more experience of it than any other British party and have never been damaged by it. On the contrary, it's Liberals who have been hurt by alliances with the Conservatives - a fact that some of those close to Clegg will doubtless remember.

There's much to be said for the stability of a formal deal, rather than an informal arrangement that could collapse without warning at any time. And again, the greater danger is to Clegg not Cameron but can Nicky Boy really walk away from a deal when it's presented as a Your Country Calls moment? If he does he will be hammered and hammered bad at the next election.

And it's not as though the Labour party can offer very much on Electoral Reform. Clegg has already rejected switching to the Alternative Vote and it's not at all clear that A Lab-Lib partnership could get any referendum bill through the commons. Good luck persuading Tom Harris, David Cairns et al to vote for that.

This, plus the obvious fact that holding out for voting reform is just the same old politics-as-usual Clegg spent the entire campaign decrying, all conspires to weaken his position.

Nevertheless, the government would be strengthened by the presence of the Orange Bookers and so too would prospects for liberal reform and the repeal of some of Labour's more egregious legislation, not least in but not limited to, the field of civil liberties. Indeed, the potential for the Lib Dems to keep the Conservatives honest on that front is enough justification itself for a formal coalition deal.

Cameron has the upper hand in these negotiations - not least because hugging the Lib Dems strengthens the Conservative position at the next election - but that's also why he should be generous, not stingy with Clegg. It will pay dividends.

*I'd also like to keep Lord Adonis at Transport and, mischievously, send Lord Mandelson back to Northern Ireland. But that's just day-dreaming sillyness.

Filed under: Cameron (227 more articles) , Clegg (61 more articles) , Election 2010 (599 more articles) , Lib Dems (101 more articles) , Tories (273 more articles)

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Richard Lyle

May 8th, 2010 2:44pm Report this comment

I'd rather have Vince Cable as Chancellor than Georgie boy. I could just about bring myself to hug a Tory then.

Leo McKinstry

May 8th, 2010 3:49pm Report this comment

Superb analysis, Alex. I agree with every word. The Tories will gain from a coalition and it is probably what the majority of voters - certainly in England - want. Left-wing commentators (see Toynbee this morning in the Guardian) pretend that there is some sort of national yearning for a progressive Lib/Lab alliance but there is no evidence for that. Most Lib Dem voters probably loathe the idea of sustaining the Labour regime. If you look at British history before 1970, Tory-Liberal coalitions were common, while Lib-Lab alliances were non-existent. The Governments of Salisbury, Balfour, Baldwin, Churchill, Eden and Macmillan all contained sizeable numbers of Liberals. Intriguingly, Michael Heseltine stood for his first election in 1959 under the name "Conservative and National Liberal."

Edmund Jerk

May 8th, 2010 4:09pm Report this comment

"...the repeal of some of Labour's more egregious legislation, not least but not limited, to the field of civil liberties. Indeed, the potential for the Lib Dems to keep the Conservatives honest on that front is enough justification itself for a formal coalition deal."

Great point. I've always been sceptical about the Tories with civil liberties -- especially since Grayling has said he wants to emulate Michael Howard, as an illiberal posturing Home Secretary.

Remember that the Liberal Party itself was founded with a coalition of Whigs, Radicals and Peelite liberal-Conservatives. It isn't the chalk and cheese situation of Labour and the Lib-dems, on most reforming, economic and socially liberal issues they could easily work together. And as a liberal minded rightist I hope they do.

Beer Moth

May 8th, 2010 4:13pm Report this comment

"But that's just day-dreaming sillyness" Don't fret Doc, we've gotten well used to it here.

If Nick Clegg were Home Sec', would he be able to implement his plan for an amnesty for asylum seekers? Or would that be the remit of some other left wing liberal whose aims run counter to the Nation's interests?

Fergus Pickering

May 8th, 2010 5:19pm Report this comment

Good God, we can't let a LibDem near the Home Office. Make him Lord President of the Council, Deputy Prime Minister in Perpetuity and Lord High Everything Else. Uncle Vince can look after pensions. He must know quite a lot about it. Any other Liberal can do overseas aid. Since there won't be any it should be within his/hercompetence. Baroness Williams maybe?

ndm

May 8th, 2010 6:45pm Report this comment

-- This latter [Ashdown in Defence] clearly won't happen but, whatever you think of his past, Ashdown is an asset who ought to be used by the new government - even if we end up with a minority Tory ministry.

This actually seems to have worked well in the Obama Administration where the Republican Gates has been able to start serious expenditure restructuring at Defense that would not have been possible had he been from the same party as a President (of either stripe)

ndm

May 8th, 2010 7:35pm Report this comment

Since the Conservatives only won 9 seats outside England they pretty much need a coalition partner to give the appearance of being a National government rather than a regional government presiding over the remnants of its lost empire.

Major Plonquer

May 9th, 2010 12:11pm Report this comment

Why on earth should anyone offer anything to the LibDems. They LOST seats for Christ's sake. They ended up with LESS than they started with. They were thrashed at the polls and utterly rejected by the voters.

Can someone please grow a spine?

Salopian

May 9th, 2010 3:19pm Report this comment

Not a bad line up for the Coalition - Actually a good move to put Clegg in the Home Office. His policy on illegal immigrants "amnesty makes some sense.

adrian harper

May 10th, 2010 5:40pm Report this comment

i was waiting for the tory media to change from nick clegg is the spawn of satan during the election to he's the new messiah if he props up cameron. smacks of desparation.last year cameron had a 22% lead . amazing

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