Are some Lib Dems playing into Labour’s hands?

I recently wrote about the possibility that having a Coalition government could in fact undermine the ultimate proof that the Conservative party has changed – in other words, that people would think that the Lib Dems were the ones doing all the good things, and the Tories all the bad things.

Of course, it’s generally assumed (though not always true) that the larger party in a coalition takes the credit for the good things, and the smaller party takes the blame. I think that in the UK, we could in fact be the opposite – the Lib Dems did pretty well taking the credit in the Scottish Parliament, for example.

Maybe it’s just a Lib Dem thing? Anyway, I’ve been thinking further about this one.

This week, the Budget has been the big story. It has been stoutly defended by Shirley Williams (on Newsnight and on the Week in Westminster), Vince Cable (great job on Question Time) and Nick Clegg (slightly shellshocked interview on Today).  But there have also been a number of Lib Dems who, in carefully worded arguments, have tried to firstly say that they will amend the Budget to make it more progressive and secondly that they knew for a fact that the ideologically driven Tories were held back in their slashing and burning by Lib Dems.

It is unlikely that any serious amendments will be made to the Budget, not least because while individual sections seem to be unfair, the package as a whole is designed to be as fair as it’s possible to be while still succeeding in sorting out the financial mess. There will be further measures, as for example Iain Duncan Smith outlined, which will go further in making work rather than benefit claiming pay – but that is a separate point, and will work in a different way.

It is also very unseemly for individual MPs to be trying to claim that it was only Lib Dems that saved us all from the baby-eating Tories. Much of the strength of the Coalition rests on the fact that it has entwined the two parties so comprehensively, and that every single announcement and spokesman underlines that it is agreed Coalition policy.

I wonder if there needs to be a reminder to both parties, perhaps from the’ Whips offices, about the nature and necessity of the Coalition, combined with a warning that this is exactly why Labour are so keen to attack the Lib Dems rather than the Conservatives. Because if the Coalition is to last, and be able to take the necessary decisions for the country, they cannot fracture under pressure. They took this historic step for a variety of reasons, and they must all be prepared to see it through.

Related posts:

1. Is Gordon Brown playing cricket?
2. The plight of the Lib Dems
3. Brown Busts His Bank Playing “Martingale Economics”
4. Progressive, and Proud
5. We are where we are. But where is that?