I didn’t think that we should let today pass without a mention of the fact that exactly a year ago today the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition was formed. Whether you are in support of the coalition or not, you can not dispute that it’s been an eventful year, topped off by the results of last week’s local elections and AV referendum.
This anniversary follows some shocking results for the Lib Dems, with the party losing control of nine English councils and suffering heavy losses in Scotland. And there’s increasing pressure on Clegg to lead his party into making a more significant stamp on the government.
The deputy Prime Minister maintains that the Liberal Democrat decision to join forces with the Conservatives to combat the economic crisis was the correct one and not merely fuelled, as some have argued, by desperation to achieve power. Clegg did however declare today in an interview with the BBC that it is time for the Liberal Democrats to come out of the Conservatives’ shadow. He claims that the party remains strong and that in the next phase of government "You will see a strong liberal identity in a strong coalition Government”.
Explaining Cameron's Coalition by Robert Worcester, Roger Mortimer, Paul Baines and Mark Gill is the definitive account of the events leading up to the formulation of the coalition government and is now available, priced £25.