In a Messy Divorce its the Family I Worry About

Two weeks ago in Birmingham, the Lib Dems set out their opening moves in what could arguably be seen as the most important strategic play in the life of the coalition – the terms of the ‘divorce’. Today, the Tories fired their first salvos in response and one thing is clear: they are determined to make it as messy and protracted as possible knowing that a messy ‘divorce’ threatens to split the Lib Dem family in the process.

In Birmingham, many high profile figures within the Lib Dems were, quite rightly in my opinion, determined in their efforts to distance the party from the antics of the ‘ruthless’ Tories; to set the limits of our culpability and promote the positive impact the Lib Dems were having not only on the policies of the coalition but also the lives of millions of disadvantaged people across the UK. Yet William Hague’s superlatives for the non-partisan quality of the coalition is a clever move which seeks to blur the boundaries between the two parties, the very same boundaries that senior members of the party worked hard to demarcate a fortnight ago.

Whilst on the face of it, Hague’s revelation that examining issues with Lib Dem Cabinet Members presents “a wonderfully refreshing, rational discussion ... in which you know party identity is not the first consideration” is a complement to the maturity of both the Lib Dems and Tories in government, there is no doubt that it is actually a carefully calculated statement intended to tie the Lib Dems into the consequences of coalition policy. By presenting a public image of level headed and mature debate between progressive politicians Hague successfully plants the seed in the public psyche that the Tories and Lib Dems aren’t as ideologically separated as many senior Lib Dems made out; that policy is bases upon a set of shared values and that the Lib Dems cannot therefore distance themselves from the perceived consequences of all coalition policies – even those which we seek to publicly distance ourselves from.

However, Hague’s comments aren’t just aimed at Joe Public. They are timed to make the most of a leaked report in the Independent on Sunday which suggests that Senior Lib Dems are working with their Tory counterparts to secure their own seat in the Cabinet should the Tories win by a small, but outright majority in 2015 by driving a wedge between those in the party who feel that Nick and Danny are a little too comfortable with the ideology of our coalition partners and those on the right of the party who feel more of an affinity to the Tory policy ideas.

As both parties have set out their opening positions in this very public divorce hearing, two things are stand out. Firstly it appears that not everyone within the party is hoping for 'divorce' and secondly if and when we do 'divorce' the Tories, it will be a very messy affair. It will be interesting to watch how it plays out over the coming years: who will be left with the family home, and who will be left with nothing? This is going to be a messy one, my worry is what will happen to the children.