James Forsyth James Forsyth

Why are the Lib Dems duffing up the Tories? To ensure another coalition

The anti-Conservative rhetoric is not a prelude to a divorce; it’s setting the terms for a second marriage

Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg delivers his keynote speech on the last day of the Liberal Democrat Autumn conference at the SECC on October 8, 2014 in Glasgow, Scotland. During his speech the deputy prime minister is expected to announce that people suffering with mental health problems will be able to see a specialist within 14 days, the same as cancer sufferers. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) 
issue 11 October 2014

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[/audioplayer]The last Liberal Democrat conference before the general election has been dominated by denunciations of the ‘nasty’ Tories. Lib Dems claim they are shocked to find George Osborne proposing a freeze in working age benefits. But can they really be so very surprised? Given that they themselves blocked the Tories from implementing this policy in the current parliament, they must have suspected that Osborne would want to do it in the next.

But through all the platform rhetoric, the outlines of a second Tory/Lib Dem coalition have become clear in the past fortnight. The parties now agree on raising the income tax threshold to £12,500, protecting the NHS budget and, as Vince Cable made clear in his conference speech, cracking down on EU benefit tourism.

There have been two negotiating red lines drawn at this conference by the Liberal Democrats.

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