For ages, the Liberal Democrats have argued that it is a matter of expectation management. They say that they have always confounded the pundits who have consistently exaggerated the extent and timing of their demise. Nick Clegg has demonstrated remarkable alacrity in underlining that this is bound to be a tough time for the LibDems, as they “repair the mess” left behind the last government. Since 2010, the Coalition government, only made possible through the voting support of LibDems MP, have scrapped EMA, SureStart, Building Schools for the Future, seen the introduction of a Health and Social Care Bill which people say is either disastrous or catastrophic, and caused falling consumer confidence and a worsening recovery.
Nick Clegg offered so much – a clean break from “broken promises”. Within months of his government, he broke his ‘categorical promise’ on tuition fees – nearly 80% of higher education establishments will be pricing their courses at the top rate. People voted for Clegg believing that the LibDems would make a difference, but the reason why the LibDems would be wise to get rid of him is the same reason that Tiger Woods and Wayne Rooney were dropped in their lucrative advertising contracts. This is where the expectation management comes in – this time, we can expect the worst for the LibDems, including the full works, including being demolished at local councillor level and the AV referendum – and, according to the polls, overwhelmingly, we will get it.
This makes a big difference for Labour. The LibDems (Chris Huhne, Nick Clegg and Simon Hughes) are considering legal action, apparently, over what they feel to be fraudulent misrepresentations (i.e. lies) in the anti-AV campaigning, and the country is now in a real economic mess. Labour would be wise to distance itself from the LibDems at this point; the ‘progressive left’ olive branch has been resoundingly dismissed by the right-wing LibDems, and without this branch, I, for one, should be happy for the LibDems to sink without trace. David Cameron is probably regretting having introduced fixed terms, as seeing this Coalition limp on, despite the fact that both parties can work together but dislike each other immensely, will not be in the country’s national interest until 2015. Ed Miliband should, of course, be ready for an election at any time, but it is a fairly firm fact that David Cameron – despite the enormous unpopularity of the cuts, but paradoxically boosted by LabourUncut – has grown from strength-to-strength. It will once again be a two-horse race, but will thankfully no longer have at its centre, the Political Magpie that is Nick Clegg.
