‘Tied and gagged in the boot’

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

A few months ago there was some mild controversy over a letter sent by Ed Miliband’s communications chief Tom Baldwin to broadcasters. The letter urged the use of “Tory-led government” instead of coalition, as Baldwin argued that was more reflective of the reality of government. A few journalists adopted the phrase. Most Labour Party politicians grabbed the new lingo. Even some contributors here felt that loyalty (or logic) dictated that they should use “Tory-led” to describe this government.

I’ve always stuck with coalition though. It seemed like the easiest shorthand for a kind of government we hadn’t seen before, with conflicting priorities, messaging and some (albeit minor) compromise.

Yet it’s clear now that we’re not living under a coalition government. We’re not living under a Tory-led government either. We are living under a Tory government, with all that entails. Whilst sharp Conservatives of the right like Tim Montgomerie may argue that the Lib Dems are getting their own way, that’s clearly a transparent attempt to stir up discontent within government and drag the agenda to the right.

It’s increasingly difficult to argue that the Lib Dems have gotten anything out of being in government. Until last week they could have argued that the AV referendum was a feather in their cap, but that “miserable little compromise” couldn’t get past the electorate. They turned their back on their policies on tuition fees, VAT and the economy. They secured a pupil premium that doesn’t really increase funding. They raised the tax threshold, but that benefits top rate taxpayers more.

Similarly it’s difficult to imagine how Cameron might have chosen to have governed differently. If anything, there’s a feeling that the PM would have been more uncomfortable leading a government with a small Tory minority, with the cabinet beholden to a reinvigorated right flank.

Yesterday Amber Elliott reported over at Total Politics how the Tories talk about the Lib Dems in private:

“One of the 2010 intake, remarked: “I used to think of the Lib Dems as being sat in the passenger seat while we drove the car. Now I think of them tied and gagged in the boot.”

The other MP – a senior figure in the party – laughed and responded: “I think of them tied to the bumper of the car – taking all the knocks.””

The idea of this being a coalition is now hilarious to many within the Cobservative Party. The idea that this government is merely Tory-led is similarly hard to agree with. This is a Tory government, pure and simple, and no amount of carping from Clegg on the anniversary of him receiving his ministerial car will change that. Whether Clegg’s party will continue to suffer this in silence is an altogether different matter…