The LibDems, the party of principles - "should have been more careful"

The last general election was no different from most that I can remember in that the LibDems and especially their leader endlessly portrayed themselves as the honest party, different from the two 'old' big parties. I knew it was rubbish and I am sure you did too, but the BBC lapped it up - anything to hurt the Tories. Unfortunately for the BBC, it seems that the LibDems just couldn't face propping up Gordon Brown and Ed Balls was a step too far as well, and so entered into a coalition with David Cameron's Tory 'lite' party.

The fuss in recent days has been over university tuition fees, a matter brought into sharp focus by the London student riot. So I was intrigued to read on Sky News that:

'The Liberal Democrats drew up plans to abandon Nick Clegg's flagship policy to scrap university tuition fees two months before the general election

...

A confidential document drawn up in March concluded that insisting on the move - which was opposed by the Tories and Labour - would be a "headache".

It is detailed in a new book about the formation of the Tory-Lib Dem administration by Conservative MP Rob Wilson, extracts of which are published today by the Guardian.

Mr Clegg, now Deputy Prime Minister, admitted this week that he "should have been more careful" when he signed a pre-election pledge to oppose a rise in tuition fees.'

Something makes me think that Nick Clegg is going to take a long time to live that comment down - "should have been more careful"!

The LibDems have tried to defend themselves thus:

'"These are selective extracts of documents which discussed a range of options ahead of any possible negotiations.

"As the Liberal Democrats made clear throughout the election and in negotiations, they had four key priorities which were set out on the front page of the manifesto.

"All of these priorities were agreed in the coalition document."'

However I don't think that this will be enough for the media or the Libdem voter. The pressure on Nick Clegg is going to increase and he will have to be strong, stronger than I think he is, to keep the coalition going past the next set of local elections. If, as I think will be the case, the LibDems suffer a massive electoral defeat then the left-wing of his party will either try to unseat him or cross to the Labour party. The latter move would at least have the virtue of honesty as the left-wing of the LibDems have more in common with the Labour party than a party with the word 'Liberal' in its name.

I have mused about the LibDems future before now and maybe it is now more possible for the Lib Dems to split: mostly to Labour with the Orange Bookers to the Conservatives. That would be an interesting development in UK politics but I wonder if the Conservative party could also have problems soon as the 'right' wonder if David Cameron rather than being a closet Thatcherite as many hoped, is in fact a closet Heathite as some feared.