End of term report - the Lib Dems

Government is a tricky business at the best of times, but in a coalition there is the potential for a so much more turmoil. Since the election however, David Cameron seems to have held it together rather well. This, I think, is in spite of the efforts of his junior partner, Nick Clegg.

For Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems, the election and its aftermath have, with the caveat of being in a position to form a government, been quite disastrous. Clegg might be the first Liberal to speak at the Dispatch Box since Lloyd George in the 1920s but he was also the first Liberal leader since Paddy Ashdown in 1992 to lose seats. Since then, the experience of government has not been such a pleasant one either, with attacks from Labour that they are selling out on key manifesto commitments seemingly sticking. From 23 per cent just three months ago at the general election, according to YouGov (26 July) this now stands at 15 per cent, while Ipsos-Mori (25 July) have it at 14 per cent.

The ease with which Clegg has admitted that he changed his mind about cuts in the weeks leading up to the election and yet did not inform the electorate of this change in policy is just one example of the duplicity of the man. Others include the ease with which he suggested to David Cameron that Labour were prepared to offer more than the Conservatives in the coalition negotiations as well as the outrageous gerrymandering bill he is proposing to put through parliament. His party are now, rightly, suffering the consequences of his short-sightedness and face being reduced to only 20 MPs if recent polling is replicated at a general election.

P