The coalition is now an open marriage

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[/audioplayer]Without any fanfare or formal announcement, the government has moved into a new phase. ‘We’re not in a coalition now. We’re just cohabiting,’ says one Liberal Democrat. ‘We’re a sexless couple. We live in the same house but sleep in separate bedrooms.’

The two parties are governing together but pursuing increasingly separate agendas. As this Lib Dem source puts it, ‘They’re doing what they want and we’re doing what we want.’

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Matthew Parris

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This separation is a product of the fact that both sides want to fight the next election as distinct parties. This is particularly imperative for the Liberal Democrats. If they want to go into the 2015 campaign as potential partners for either major party, they can hardly synchronise policies with the Tories right up until next spring. So we’ll see the Liberal Democrats pushing for things they can claim as their own. Their aim for the next Budget, for instance, is to highlight their most popular policy by increasing the personal tax allowance still further, to £10,500.

The Lib Dems will ensure that their disagreements with the Tories are public and cast in emotive terms. Note how Clegg described George Osborne’s plans for more welfare cuts after the next election as a ‘monumental mistake’. This must be the first British government in which the rows in public are worse than the ones in private. Indeed, given the public criticism, relations are surprisingly cordial. I do understand, however, that Cameron and Clegg had a slightly rocky start to the year.

One thing that makes these Lib Dem jibes easier for the Tories to take is the knowledge that they appeal to left-wing voters who would otherwise plump for Labour.