The Path Not Taken

[steepholm]

So the Lib Dems are talking to the Tories about forming a coalition - one of my nightmare scenarios. Still more worryingly, Clegg is making noises about the need to provide "good government in a time of economic crisis", which sounds rather as if he's being seduced away from what should be his number one demand, electoral reform. PR is his for the taking, if he can keep his eyes on the prize. But if he passes it up now in favour of being a member of an austerity government, he'll not get another chance.

ETA: After today's negotiations, Cameron's team reported that the LibDems were 'serious' people conducting 'grown-up' negotiations. I read that as code for 'Electoral reform is waaaay down the agenda'.

Comments

[calimac.livejournal.com]

Of course the LDs are rooked without PR, and they're not going to get it from the Tories. One would hope that Nick Clegg's political instincts are at least as good as Jeremy Thorpe's, for goodness sake. In fact, I wonder what negotiations could possibly still be going on. In my view, the C-LD meeting should last about five minutes, and consist of Nick saying, "So tell me, Dave, can you deliver PR? And by 'PR' I don't mean AV. And by 'deliver' I don't mean a commission or a committee or a conference to discuss it. We've done that. I mean a bill with an enforced three-line whip." And when Dave replies, "You know I can't do that," Nick stands up, says, "Nice talking to you," and leaves, to make a call at Number Ten.

But the panicky Lib Dems I'm thinking of are not expressing themselves in the form of worry about a PR sellout. They're just opposed to the Tories. Period.