There Will Be A Tory-Lib Dem Pact (Of Some Kind)

Sunder Katwala is not convinced by Nick Boles’ suggestion that the coalition should fight the next election on a joint-ticket. He sniffs a Tory ploy:

What [Boles] is offering the Liberal Democrats is simply the chance to lash themselves to the mast of the Coalition’s austerity agenda – and to collude in an attempt to keep it going even if the voters don’t want it – with little in return beyond losing their political identity to become a semi-permanent National Liberal wing of a new Tory-dominated alliance.

The coalition has worked so far because it has caught into the zeitgeist that disdains tribalism and looks to politicians to work together in the national interest.  If we believe in the transformative power of the coalition for five years, then surely we must at least consider the potential of campaigning strongly on its record as coalition partners.