Thursday 28 April 2011
That's what its all about
As another set of figures on the economy's performance over the last quarter comes out, just one week ahead of the referendum, it is becoming increasingly clear that the fortunes of Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats will be largely dependent on how the economy progresses. With the No campaign gaining ground as we approach the referendum, Liberal Democrats' hopes for reforming the electoral system, not only to solidify the ground underneath their supporters' feet, but also for changing the system away from the grip of the two major parties vested in the FPTP system look set to fail. If those hopes die, his and his party's political future will be decided entirely by the legacy they leave behind. That's the choice they made after the Hung Parliament and the decision they sealed in the coalition agreement. If growth can be restored, I believe much of their original support will too.
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Congratulations on the blog Alec! I am sure you are right on this. There are two general points. The first is that the media exposure to the referendum has been a disaster and the Yes campaign have really lost an opportunity, through no fault of their own, because of the Royal Wedding and now the death of Osama bin Laden. The "Noes" will be delighted! Secondly, very few have really picked up on the major point that the increased chances of Coalition government through AV, really means the death of the doctrine of Mandate and Manifesto, which would be hugely damaging to the ability of the people to hold the governemtn to account for its manifesto pledges (see the getting rid of married tax allowances etc etc).
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