Let us make the best of a bad situation

Politics in Britain feels peculiar at the moment. Those of us who follow it closely suddenly have no terms of reference. We all feel a bit lost. Therefore, more now than ever it is advisable to follow our instincts. Instincts for some, if you are staunchly of the right and voted Conservative, or perhaps if you are staunchly of the left and voted Liberal Democrat, are telling people that they have been sold out; that this coalition government is a farce and should not be trusted. A view, which was put forward by Peter Hitchens today in the Mail on Sunday.

I believe this view to be grossly unfair.

Nobody has been sold out. If you voted Conservative you were voting for a Conservative government. If you voted Liberal Democrat you were voting for a Liberal Democrat government (or at least perhaps more realistically a Liberal Democrat MP). Each party wanted a majority, nobody actively wanted a hung parliament that would result in a coalition government. It is only since the election result concluded that no one party had achieved a majority, that one had to make the best of a bad situation.

Cameron had to make a decision between a minority Conservative government which would undoubtedly be weak and extremely fragile, or a majority government in coalition with the Lib Dems which would fair a much greater chance of being a stronger and more stable government. What came about was a highly regrettable situation, of course he wanted a majority, but it was nevertheless a reality and he had to make a tough call. Ultimately I believe he has made the right one. There are a minority of Conservative and Liberal Democrat voters who are crying ‘betrayal’ and ‘treachery’ as Hitchens has been (although I doubt he voted Conservative). Let's get real, no one has been betrayed. One is left with a decision either to be slavishly devoted to your principles and values or compromise part of your principles to deal practically with the reality at hand. Please do not interpret this as choosing practicality over principle. It is not. It is simply a balance of the two as nearly every decision in life has to be.

Indeed, there are some reasons to be very positive about the coalition. Not least the point raised by Matthew D’ancona in the Sunday Telegraph today. That being that the country faces some very tough times ahead and that there will be fierce cuts in public spending. If the Tories alone were responsible for this, it would leave open the easy and predictable attack from the left that it was the same old Tories who care nothing for the poor and only for the rich. Now the Lib Dems are on board, they are culpable too, that argument is utterly negated. I think it is also important that the government has broad support while it makes these uncomfortable decisions. A poll this morning reported 64% approve that the coalition government is the right way ahead.

I myself am still very uneasy about the whole thing. I worry that much could be at risk with this coalition. Rest assured I shall continue to highlight those concerns and criticise the government in the weeks ahead. As a blogger it would be very easy and perhaps more entertaining for me to take the radical and blindly principled view of Hitchens with regard to the coalition. But as I began this post, I reiterate that now is a time for instincts. They tell me that the coalition is making the best of a bad situation. Its own destiny may indeed be rather shorter than the five years mooted, but for the moment lets get behind it. The challenges facing the country demand such a response.