Left at Temple Meads

One of the constant refrains of the 9%ers (that’s the Lib Dems) is that their presence in the coalition is holding back the Conservatives from being even more evil. They are also at the same time, apparently,  forcing the Tories to take on some of their top policies. But is their any evidence that this is the case?

I present exhibit A (don’t worry there are not going to be any others). An article from Lib Dem Voice.

In it the Lib Dems concede that they have had to compromise on the following:

• The speed of dealing with the deficit. Which means a regressive budget followed by a regressive spending review / budget. Slashing welfare payments, decimating housing benefits, hiking VAT to 20% amongst other attacks on the poor and working families.
• Accepting the ‘broad thrust of the Brown Report’ on University tuition fees.  Which means that they have broken their promise to many voters particularly in Bristol West, slashed spending on University teaching by 30%, taken a huge stride to stop those from poorer families attending top universities by putting a £9K barrier in front of them.
• The ‘Green Lighting’ of Nuclear Power. Again betraying all those Green voters who opted for the Lib Dems because of their Green credentials

I think that most will admit that those are significant concessions that the rank and file 9%ers find quite difficult. So what have they got in return? Well in the category of policies that the 9%ers have imposed on the Tories which the Tories don’t like are:

• ‘A reformed House of Lords elected by PR. Although this was also a Tory manifesto promise it was not a first term priority. Use of proportional representation is also a LibDem win.
• No British Bill of Rights of the kind that might have stopped votes for prisoners.
• No repatriation of powers from the EU.
• Suspension of all major family policy initiatives including long-grassing of the introduction of a tax allowance for marriage.
• A delay to Trident renewal until after the next General Election.
• Greater use of community sentences, less use of prison.
• Higher rates of Capital Gains Tax.
• Yesterday’s referral of NewsCorp’s takeover of BSkyB to OfCom’

So picture it. You are married with two kids living in a 3 bed social housing house, you have been made unemployed from your low paid council job and struggling to find a new one.  You are now faced with a rent rise to 80% of commercial rent, which is about a 100% increase and you will have 30% less in housing benefit. But at least you can go to sleep at night knowing that at least the 9%ers have given prisoners the vote.

Or perhaps you are bright post 16 student, who has just lost you EMA, who has been told by your parents that they can’t afford for you to go for one of the greatly reduced university places because they can’t afford it. At least you can be consoled by the fact that, thanks to the 9%ers, the decision on the renewal of Trident won’t be made until after the next election.

It makes me want to weep!