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.
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