There’s an interestingly conciliatory post on ConservativeHome from Tory MP Gary Streeter — introduced as ‘one of the 81 rebels on an EU referendum and one of last week’s 91 rebels on an elected Lords’ — re-committing himself to supporting the Coalition.
… we need a steady hand on the tiller at this time of global crisis. We need stability in government. We need to be able to look ahead for more than just a few months. We need to survive until 2015 and thereafter might even be in coalition again for a further period. We are fortunate to have a Prime Minister with all the skill set to do coalition well.
And is Clegg really so awful? I remember hearing his launch of his party manifesto on the radio of my car in April 2010 and I was well impressed. Let’s not forget that we did not win outright partly because of Clegg’s performances on the election TV debates. Many said he performed badly in the recent debate introducing the House of Lords Reform Bill (which I voted against) but as he was attacked from in front and behind in a way that I have never seen in 20 years I thought he did rather well.
So I have gone into the summer recess having made a half-way-through-the-year resolution. I am going to get behind the coalition more fervently when Parliament reassembles in September. In my heart this is not easy, but in my head I know it to be the right thing. The government has achieved a lot in the past two years and has some tough challenges to tackle. I will still oppose an elected House of Lords but other than that I will endeavour to support the leadership that comes from Cameron and Clegg. I am utterly convinced that a Labour government anytime in the next five years would be an absolute disaster.
I am going to learn to love the coalition and I recommend you do also.
In the national interest.
It would be all-too-easy to be cynical about Gary Streeter’s post: supporting the Coalition, yet voting against one of its key pieces of legislation, isn’t what I’d call loving.
Nonetheless, both parties have in the past week or so glimpsed into the abyss which faces us (individually and collectively) if this Government falls apart at the seams. We’ve thought about how the public will respond if it looks like, just when the country needs effective leadership, the Coalition opts for infighting. It won’t be pretty, either for the Lib Dems or Tories. So, as summer resolutions go, I’ve heard worse.
* Stephen was Editor (and Co-Editor) of Liberal Democrat Voice from 2007 to 2015, and writes at The Collected Stephen Tall.
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9 Comments
Even Streeter realises that the alternative to the Coalition is a Lib/Lab govt, or even a majority Labour one. Time for us to play even harder for what we want. Especially on the Lords.
He won’t support HoL reform, and he will “endeavour to support the leadership”? If that’s fervent support, I wonder what lukewarm would look like. It’s just like Humpty dumpty in the Westminster bubble. When I use a word, it means exactly what I want it to mean, neither more nor less. I’d call this another triumph for HoL reform.
“yet voting against one of its key pieces of legislation”
lords reform is ‘key’ legislation?
……………………………………..I will still oppose an elected House of Lords but other than that I will endeavour to support the leadership that comes from Cameron and Clegg……………………
Translation… I will still oppose the one real bit of LibDem input to this coalition but, other than that, I will endeavour to support the coalition as future proposals, like all almost all that have gone before, are part of our Tory manifesto.
@jedibeeftrix
It’s in the Coalition Agreement and this year’s Queen’s Speech. So yes.
The thing is that he is responsible for breaking the Coalition Agreement. Why should he have the right to vote the way he likes, but not the Lib Dems?
How does he think he can do that and it is OK?
21 Lib Dem MPs voted against the Tution Fee rise. The coalition agreement didn’t make any explicit promise about increasing fees, only laying out some goals used to judge the proposals in Lord Browne’s report.
House of Lords reform was included in the agreement in a similar way, no categorical promise over reform, but that a committee would bring forward proposals and the expected form these would take.
91 Tory MPs voted against Lords Reform proposals. 21 Lib Dem MPs voted against the tuition fee proposals. To give some context, as a percentage of their MPs, fewer Tories rebelled against the coalition. The grass roots in both the Lib Dems and Conservatives are quick to forget when their own side “stands-up-to” their coalition partners, and far too quick to make accusations of “betrayal” when they do the same .
Charles – the Coalition Agreement contained a commitment to introduce Lords Reform but did not say anything about tuition fees. So what is your point?
After all, Streeter is a former member of the SDP!