David Cameron is preparing for a fight. The criticism from the grassroots and backbench MPs that he has for too long been happy to concede basic Conservative positions to live in peace with his Coalition partners must have long been chipping away at his conscious ego.
Matthew Parris and Tim Montgomerie have both recently argued that should Clegg receive a beating in the local elections and referendum in May then Cameron should increase his resistance to the harmonious relationship. And it appears that he is doing just that.
The out of the blue speech on immigration, the u-turn intervention with the No to AV campaign and last Friday’s comments to the Telegraph defending sharp-elbowed opportunistic internships all smack of a Tory Prime Minister appealing to his base in preparation for power-play.
Ever since the Coalition was formed, both Cameron and Clegg have asserted that it will last the full term – there will be no policy position too great that the leaders will not be able to broker a peaceful solution in ‘the national interest’. Few commentators believed that this would remain true, but the cracks appear to be emerging.
It was never going to be easy reconciling two party manifesto pledges. But to date the achievements of both parties has been impressive. However the level of political posturing at a time of weakness appears to be increasing. The Liberal Democrats are polling at a hugely decreased level of popularity; the Yes to AV campaign similarly is not looking too healthy. This huge knock to public endorsement puts them in a tricky position when it comes to policy negotiations with the Conservatives.
But should this matter? In a time where active engagement in ‘politics’ is at an all time low, surely this blatant level of Punch and Judy game playing is not going to help to encourage interest in the process?
Grassroots activists are a tricky bunch, and when coupled with backbench MPs it isn’t difficult to see the immense pressure that is placed on Cameron to appease both groups. A large number of both constituents believe that his desire to appear strong to the country is leading to him being a weaker Tory leader as a result of LD concessions.
Being in partnership with the Liberal Democrats is what the nation inadvertently asked for and is therefore what they received. It may be difficult to concede, but we reiterate that none of the major parties won the last election. So no matter what the current public perception of may be the Coalition Agreement must weather whatever storm comes its way.
For several weeks now Labour has been polling more favourably than the Coalition – should Cameron concede policies to them? Of course not. Polling data may indicate that more people dislike the Liberal Democrats now than did previously but this in no way justifies abusing the will of the people. Not to mention opening the Government to opposition attack and spin.
Only by demonstrating that the Coalition has survived the full Parliamentary term with little distress can the public be reassured that politics is worth engaging in. It will demonstrate that the voters gets what they asked for and that the more that ask, the more defined and specific the results will be.
Whatever pressure Cameron is under to jolt to the right, he must resist. His post as leader may be at stake, but is the cost of engagement and national stability worth the posturing?
Related posts:
New blog for @platformten by @MarioCreatura on why Cameron should be wary of political posturing. http://bit.ly/gcYOGq
New blogpost: @MarioCreatura on why Cameron should be wary of political posturing http://bit.ly/gcYOGq #fb