Nick Clegg has in fact been very principled, but it pains his activists to say so.

He has had a Coalition agreement indorsed by his own Party to the Conservative Party.

The Liberal Democrat party, on behalf of the voters who voted for them, have agreed on this position regarding the cuts, and this was made clear months’ ago. Other bloggers don’t seem to understand to understand this concept. The Liberal Democrat activists, if they wish to do anything at this late stage, have to work out how they reached this agreement on such an emotive issue, and decide that this may be the cost of being so unprincipled in their thirst of power in the first place. There’s absolutely no point the Liberal Democrats saying they were unable to implement their manifesto; stop whingeing, as you could have asked for a General election, which is a huge improvement on the mess we’re currently in.

If the response of the Government to Lord Browne’s report is one that Liberal Democrats cannot accept, then arrangements will be made to enable Liberal Democrat MPs to abstain in any vote.

The Coalition Agreement : Our Programme for Government

Link here