Diary – 15 May 2010

Alastair Campbell had a cynical term for the attempts to recruit Tories and others to Tony Blair’s big tent: ‘Operation Gobble’. In 1916, the Tories went into coalition with Lloyd George’s liberals. They gobbled them, spat out Lloyd George and reduced the Liberals to third-party status. In 1931, the Tories formed another coalition, with some Liberal and Labour MPs: also gobbled without trace. But after 1940, the wartime coalition enabled Clement Attlee to appear prime ministerial, thus helping to win Labour a huge majority in 1945. So this time, who will gobble whom? Thus far, Tory opinion is divided. A lot of MPs are delighted, especially the new ones. After 13 years of despair and wilderness, their leader is in Downing Street. Others feel that it would have been worth waiting another few months to attain real power. David Cameron could have made the Liberals an offer which was just short of acceptable.