A New Lib/Lab Pact?

Now here's an intriguing (though not unexpected by some of us) development that is being strongly rumoured: talks between Labour and the Liberal Democrats with a view to possibly forming a caolition government after the next election.

While it is true that the opinion polls are currently indicating a probable hung parliament, as my chart of polling headline results for 2008 shows, this is already changing as the blue and red lines diverge once more, as would be expected in the current economic climate.

Obviously, in order to attract the LibDems to themselves (as they could just as easily form a coalition with the Conservatives if they were so minded) Labour have to offer some concessions, and one of these is apparently the possibility of a LibDem Speaker of the House of Commons. The possibility of Sir Menzies Campbell, the former LibDem leader also known as Ming, becoming the next Speaker has been mooted before, some months ago in fact, and is a reasonable choice.

I think he could do a good job, and he is widely respected across the House, which is important. Even so, I have been very impressed with Sir Alan Hazlehurst who is currently one of the Deputy Speakers, and I'd like to see him prmotoed to full Speaker. I think that would improve the standard of Prime Minister's Questions, in particular getting the Prime Minister to answer the questions and not ask his own, which is not the purpose of those sessions! I don't know whether Ming is quite up to that particular challenge, but I suspect not — especially if he ends up getting the job as a result of Brown and his party's support, which could be perceived as compromising his independence.

There are other, also fairly obvious, possible LibDem appointments to a coalition Cabinet: Vince Cable as Chancellor (no surprise there at all!) and Paddy Ashdown as Foreign Secretary (no great surprise).

The biggest clue, though, is the opening up of access to senior Civil Sevants to the LibDem leadership, as well as to the Conservatives. Especially bearing in mind how the latter was blocked (against tradition) by Gordon Brown for as long as he could get away with it, this is very telling indeed, and should not be underestimated. Brown is serious about this Lib/Lab pact or coalition government.

In general, a Lib/Lab coalition isn't what the country needs at this time (no doubt some would say we will never need one!) so it is to be hoped that the Conservatives secure an overall majority at that next General Election. Otherwise there can be no recovery for Britain. It's as stark as that.