Coalition government, the first 266 days

If, about a year ago, you'd made any Lib Dem party member an offer that in Feb 2011 the party would be nearly 9 months into a coalition government, they'd have bitten off your hand. Of course people should be careful what they wish for, because the reality wasn't quite as expected. The "natural" partnership (Lib/Lab) just didn't have the support it needed, so we ended up with a rather unexpected twist leading many to accuse the party leadership of selling out, propping up the Tories or just generally being opportunist blaggers who couldn't resist power once they had a sniff of it.

On the other hand the party leadership would have us all believe that everything is great, the coalition is a stable and powerful force for good in this country, and that Conservative policies are being seasoned with a good dose of Lib Dem sodium chloride.

I, like many other Lib Dems from what I can tell, are still in "wait and see" mode as to how this will all turn out. I don't think it's worth commentating on whether or not the current fiscal strategy is all to the good - there are strong arguments for and against, and the proof of the pudding will undoubtedly be in whether or not it comes out of the recessional oven all burnt around the edges or not. For the sake of the future of the party, it really better had be OK, because Clegg and co are unlikely to get a second bite of the cherry if things don't turn firmly upwards before the next election.

So where does this leave my own political experiment? I have to say that right now I have no real strong feelings about the party, but I still could not find a better one. I think Labour is now, having started to rally around a new leader, getting to the point where it could become interesting, but they are spending too much time criticising the government for the steps they are taking to get the country out of the recession that happened on their watch. Whether or not the huge deficit is Labour's fault is largely irrelevant - they must now show determination and innovation in order to be credible. The centre-left ground of British politics (and maybe even that dream team coalition with the Lib Dems) awaits them if they do.

Considering the available options after the last election (minority Conservative govt, another general election ot the current arrangement) I think the best choice was made. Whether or not it leaves the LDs able to hold their heads high after will depend on many things, but if they can maintain a distinctive message while keeping credibility in government I think they will achieve more than most commentators expect.

Why I didn't join the Lib Dems (and why I did)

Time to cut straight to the chase. I've just joined the Liberal Democrats (at least I think I have, the confirmatory email has not arrived yet). First thing to note is that was cheaper than I thought - only 10 quid - bargain (although I could have spent up to 250 - we'll see if they are worth it first). Who would have thought you could be a fully fledged political animal for only a tenner?

So "Why the Lib Dems?" you may ask. Good question. In the light of recent events I should say first what the reasons are not.

1) Vince Cable. Hailed as the man who predicted the credit crisis and helped to fix Northern Rock, I certainly have a lot of time for Vince, and he could be a good reason to vote Lib Dem, but not to join them, not on his own.

2) Nick Clegg. He seems like a good chap, if he wasn't I might have been put off. But I've been eyeing up the Lib Dems since long before he came on the scene. So I haven't just been converted by his recent gains in the Prime Ministerial Debates, although I'm looking forward to more of them.

3) A love of orange. You can't miss it, but I prefer green, as a colour.

4) Dislike of a two party system / the need for change. Again I think this is a strong reason to vote for a strong third party, but not necessarily to join it.

So here are the reasons:

1) Freedom / Privacy. I value freedom, I value privacy. I'm fed up of people wanting to track me. It's bad enough when it's supermarkets but when governments do it then I really objects. It being election time it's hard to get past the fluff, but the Lib Dems aren't afraid to tell you on their web site that they are generally in favour of people having as much personal space to what they want as possible. I feel quite strongly that this should be the main idea in many aspects of society, including education, parents and local and national government. Laws should exist to stop people hurting each other and to make society work better, not to impose unnecessary restrictions on people. Have a read of The Freedom Bill and you'll see what I mean. Most of what this Bill does is repeal laws. We have too many laws, let's get rid of a few!

2) Greenness. I may write about the Green Party later, and I have a lot of time for them, but of the 3 main parties the Lib Dems have taken green issues on board a lot more than the others. Global warming isn't the only issue, by green I'm thinking really of being frugal with our limited resources - I want some oil left for my kids to use.

3) Ability to debate rationally. I'm generally impressed with the way the Lib Dems conduct themselves. They aren't actually afraid to agree with people from other parties. I think this is a good basis for political debate in the future.

4) Electoral reform. They seem to be the only party that is prepared to grasp the issue of our stupid voting system. Of courses this coincides with them being a smaller party and currently disadvantaged by that system, but it's also a fundamental view of mine, that everyone's vote should count the same, not just the ones belonging to people in marginal constituencies.

So there we are, that's what I did and that's why I did it. Anyone think I made a big mistake?