Is the Coalition crumbling?

Despite the brave face Clegg is showing, things are not good in the Coalition and each day more rifts are starting to show.

Already in Scotland the leader of the Scottish Lib Dems has argued with the Tories about their policies on justice and their manifesto for the Assembly is clearly at odds with Coalition policy. Take some of their key points:

1. Create conditions for 100,000 new jobs, supported by at least £1.5 billion of investment freed up by reform to Scottish Water.
2. Cut energy bills and boost green economy with new help to pay for insulation and new investment in renewable energy.
3. Give head teachers more power.
4. Give every child a fair start in life with an Early Intervention Revolution
5. Keep higher education free – no fees and no graduate contribution
6. Improve out-of-hours healthcare across Scotland.

Not exactly in-line with the Tory position of cuts, cuts, and more cuts.

Meanwhile back in England, one of Nick Clegg's closest advisers has threatened to quit unless ministers make changes to a proposed overhaul of the NHS. Lib Dem MP Norman Lamb said the plans posed a major "financial risk" to the NHS, and patient care could suffer. He said he would quit as Mr Clegg's chief political adviser unless NHS professionals were "on board".

While supporting the general direction of government proposals, he feared there was "no evidence" how the new GP-led system would operate.
Also speaking on Sunday, Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander acknowledged there were "issues" in the way GP-led commissioning consortia would operate and be regulated.

More recently, an interim report by a five-member banking commission, headed by Sir John Vickers, is expected to recommend a series of measures to protect banks’ key functions at times of crisis. The moves are likely to cost banks an extra £5billion but are set to be supported by George Osborne, the Chancellor. However, the recommendations will be contested by Liberal Democrat cabinet ministers including Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, exposing a clear fault line at the top of the government. Cable has in the past called for the big banks such as HSBC, Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland to be completely split up into retail and investment arms- and Sir John’s report does not go as far as this. A senior Lib Dem source attempted to distance his party from the findings ahead of today’s publication of the commission’s interim report.

Is this an ideological shift? Hardly – it has more to do with May 5th and the Lib Dems playing a sneaky move to try and distance themselves from the Tories. They know they will be trounced at the election if they continue to suck up to the Tories, so they are trying to show they are independent.

We are unconvinced.

The evidence has shown they are so close to Tory policy it is untrue. They supported the increase in tuition fees; they were all set to endorse changes in the NHS and only bailed out when RCN and the BMA voiced their opposition. In addition they have gone along with Tory plans to scrap EMA and the Flexible Jobs Fund. The Lib Dems have even nodded through substantial changes to welfare reform that will cause unnecessary stress to thousands of sick and disabled people.

The Lib Dems committed political suicide when they formed a coalition with the Tories after May 6th and now they are trying to squirm out of their commitment. Well the electorate may not have long memories, but they have a long enough one to remember all the lies and deceptions Clegg has offered the people over the last year.

On May 5th they will pay the price – and the devastation is likely to be near nuclear. The party leadership will have a hard time justifying their alliance with the Tories once the votes are counted.