Times are tough for Nick Clegg. Not as a Deputy Prime Minister or as a member of government but as leader of the Liberal Democrat Party, the minority partner in the coalition government. His party continues to sit around the 10 point mark in the poll ratings and activists are only becoming more vocal about fears of their participation in the coalition. The rejection of NHS reform at the Liberal Democrat Conference wasn't just a reflection of the party's discontent on that one specific policy area but was an expression of how criticisms of the Liberal Democrats propping up a Conservative agenda in government is really starting to get to Lib Dem grassroots.
Most recently, Nick Clegg has been forced to abandon his place as the focal point of the Yes to AV campaign especially after Ed Miliband, leader of the Labour Party stepped up pressure by stating he would not share a paltform with Clegg despite both their parties supporting the Yes Vote at the referendum. It has to raise doubts over the likely success of the Yes Vote if the leader of the party which is its greatest proponent has been forced out of that particular arena and if the other supporting party's leader is willing to sacrifice unity on the issue for political oppurtunism. If the strategy to change the electoral system fails on the 5th May, the Liberal Democrats and Nick Cleggs' political fortunes in the future fall entirely on the coalition's ability to bring about marked economic recovery and growth by the time of the next election.
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