A coalition for Britain, not for narrow party advantage (Mid Sussex Liberal Democrats)

A coalition for Britain, not for narrow party advantage

May 12, 2010 10:38 PM

Westminster Clock Tower Big Ben / Houses of Parliament

The outcome of the general election - a coalition with the Conservatives was not particularly desired or foreseen, yet what Nick Clegg has achieved is the best possible outcome given the only real alternative were a minority Conservative administration, that could if left to its own devices, have inflicted severe damage on the structure of our society and economic recovery.

These are not normal times, the UK is running a deficit on government spending that is greater than Greece - which has already seen several financial bailouts this year. Furthermore we do not have the luxury of being part of a bigger club like the Eurozone, retaining the pound as our currency has given us much greater flexibility to allow exchange rates to fall, and so boost our economic competitiveness, but this could all too easily become a rout where we were forced into the arms of the IMF - like Denis Healey in the 70's, and to make cuts to public services over which we had no control. As it is substantial reductions in government spending are coming, but we must not throw the baby out with the bathwater, and Liberal Democrats will be keen to ensure the Conservative tendency to lay waste to public services is reined in.

Coalition government has already been well tested at local government level where Liberal Democrats have working arrangements with both Conservative and Labour parties on running specific local authorities - and successful arrangements have taken place in both Scottish and Welsh devolved administrations.

An alternative was a possible of coalition with the Labour Party with which we perhaps share more common goals, however although this was seriously pursued, it was just not feasible given a minority of Labour MP's opposed any deal. Such an agreement would have required a rainbow alliance where nationalist MP's could have held the government to ransom for their support, let alone having to cope with divisions within the Labour Party.

Either option would have been logical if the seats had stacked up. But under the illogicality of our current electoral system seats gained in an election bear no relationship to votes cast - Liberal Democrats increased their national share of the vote but lost a handful of parliamentary seats. Over 70% of MP's in the current parliament were elected by a minority of the valid votes cast in their constituency. If we had had even the Alternative vote system, this would have transformed the election result, with Labour and Liberal Democrats ending up with a majority over all others.

Nick Clegg has made the best of the circumstances that were presented and announced "We are now going to form a new government. More importantly than anything else, we are going to form a new kind of government; I hope this is the start of a new kind of politics I have always believed in. Diverse, plural, where politicians with different points of view find a way to work together to provide the good government for the sake of the whole country deserves."

"That was what we were asked to do by the people of Britain in the General Election last Thursday and that is what we will deliver."

The agreement between the two parties is full of policies that we have campaigned on for years - and now have the opportunity to put into practice. These policies are outlined the the link below.

Mid Sussex Liberal Democrats

Haywards Heath & District

East Grinstead

Burgess Hill

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