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June 02, 2008
Clegg - not ready for deal on day 1
An intriguing quote from Nick Clegg in an interview and Q&A given to the Independent:
Q) Day one of a Cameron government. He offers you proportional representation in return for sharing in a coalition. Do you take it?
Clegg:
"Electoral reform is a vital but not sufficient measure needed to make Britain a more liberal place. I'm not interested in my party becoming an annex to a Labour or Conservative government. I want to change the way we conduct politics for good."
My take is simply that this is a response to the 'coalition' part of the question. PR wouldn't be enough for entering a formal partnership with the Tories. But that still leaves room for it to be the building block for a more informal, looser working arrangement.
Posted by malcolmclark on June 02, 2008
Comments
Lib Dems have been very guarded in public about the possibility of entering a coalition with either Labour or Conservatives, which is sensible. You never know which will be ahead, and so want to avoid being linked in voters' mind to the wrong party. Taking a lesser status precipituously could also depress voter support!
In any case, if the Labour implosion continues unabated, it would be rather silly for Clegg to hypothetically say yes and then find that the Conservatives have a solid majority on their own. Remember how Ashdown thought he had a deal with Blair, which the latter reneged on as the scale of the Labour landslide in 1997 dawned on him.
Posted by: Michel S. at June 3, 2008 06:26 AM
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