Clegg accusing the Tories of breaking the contract

rlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19149212rl

Will he and his boys walk away now? They hold the balance of power and walking away could be seen as them doing what they should have been doing from day 1, holding back the excesses of the Tories.

Personally I think, as I always have done, that Clegg et al like the trappings of power too much to leave, so they'll stick it out and moan till the election.

Not until after the Olympic bounce has subsided.

I always expected them to part company 12-18 months before the next election. If they break now the Lib Dems will have gained nothing for all of the pain they've endured. If things did start to pick up before the election they would get no electoral credit at all. They will not have a platform on which to fight the next election, will never be able to present the case for coalition government. Might as well pack up.

Their chances dont look a great deal better if they stay in the coalition, but its the only chance they've got.

If the Lib Dems do break away, surely it just consigns them to the scrap heap earlier?

Labour have already won the next election as the vast majority of people are stupid and just blame the world's woes on the current Government, without realising who caused it.

Minority coalition partners will generally be better off staying put as long as possible, as the chances of them holding the balance of power after another election are low. OTOH the Tories would dump the Libs in a second if they didn't need them.

Here in Aus we have Greens and independents propping up a hugely unpopular government. They will not walk away no matter what, because after the next election the chances are they will be out of power completely, whichever side wins. In fact if anything it could turn out to be a poisoned chalice, because the independents will be very vulnerable at the next election for supporting the government regardless.

Lords reform was a bizarre policy which was on the radar just to keep the Lib Dems happy. It was simply not a priority for the overwhelming majority of ordinary voters, and Cameron only pushed it so hard to compensate Clegg for his stuffing in the AV referendum.

True, Labour have been polling well. But I think their 'real' lead is probably substantially less than figures suggest. Let's be honest, they are ahead by default. The prospect of Ed Milliband in No 10 is frightening, and I think people will realise that as the next election draws nearer.

Yes, the economy is still screwed, and will probably be for the lifetime of this parliament and the next, regardless of who is in power.

As far as I'm aware, greedy bankers aren't standing in the next election

The Lib Dems have come across as being more bothered about furthering their political ends through electoral and constitutional reform than issues that really concern people. More likely to fall out over AV than tuition fees. More concerned over H of L reform than tax changes. They seem to have completely lost their way.

I think the LibDems will feel a "principled" break before the end of the full term may allow them to shore up their core support. If they do nothing they will be finished. So they may well break, but not yet.

People do realise who caused it, certainly wasn't any elected member who gave loans to people they couldn't afford, played pass the parcel with bundles of debt that they had no chance of recouping, lie and cheated exchange rates or p**sed it all up against the wall on bonuses and huge salaries.

Granted previous governments have made mistakes but to blame them completely for the current mess is crass stupidity.

Obviously it was a good day to try and bury bad news, this plus the Mensch story coming out in relatively short order.

It's about time the Lib Dems grew a pair and realised that they hold a substantial amount of power over the Tories and started using it. They've already sold their soul but maybe they can do a tiny amount of good now to counteract the waves and mountains of utter sh|te they've helped the Tories push through.

I think even they know that the numbers of votes they got in 2010 and could no longer count on in the foreseeable future are immense.

They attracted a large student following on their promise of no increase in and hopefully abolition of tuition fees, that will evaporate, no matter how much they try an explain it is "fairer".

Their tokenism over the Health & Social Care Bill has also lost them massive numbers of previous voters, many life-long liberals, who would struggle to reconcile any further support.

The tactical voters, like me, who knowing that in many areas (particularly in the South West), a Labour vote really is a wasted vote and voted LibDem as the lesser of two evils. Even without boundary changes and notwithstanding whatever other misery this bunch of misfits can visit on us in the run-up to 2015, many current LibDem seats will revert to Conservative.

As for the coalition, I can see it running its course. For it not to do so would be seen as a massive failure on both parties. I hope it does endure because Labour is nowhere near ready for either an election and certainly not government. Labour need to start coming up with alternatives to the worst excesses of this bunch. Such as a reversal of the H&SC Bill, an alternative to the likes of Atos and a driving back of free-market economics in the provisions of healthcare, welfare and education.

The LibDems may well lose their leader but Clegg will remain as DPM.

I wasn't aware we could vote on bankers and on a world financial collapse.
Oh wait don't tell me you belive the hype about Labour being able to control the entire world and that they were the ones who decided to slash and burn and strangle any hope of a recovery.
Right?

So what was it that the Lib Dems have got out of the coalition agreement? Oh yes, silly me... ministerial salaries.

As a life long Liberal/LD supporter, they've a lot of recovery work to do to get my vote back.

Been lied to too much, and for nothing.