He promised to do politics differently, but after so much betrayal it's no surprise half the Liberal Democrat party want him to go
As a vociferous cheerleader for Nick Clegg in the leadership contest against Chris Huhne, the last two years have been excruciating for me. Given my clear position on the left of the party, many wondered at my support. But I had worked with Clegg on our crime policy, I knew he was sound on issues of civil liberties, had an enlightened evidence-based approach to crime and punishment, was committed to improving the life chances of all our children and was undoubtedly a true liberal. On the issues we disagreed on he was still willing to listen, so I had reasoned that he would be a pragmatic leader, recognising that he and the party weren't always on the same page, that he didn't always share the social liberal mainstream view, but that he would accept the democratic nature of our party and go along with us.
Having been a member of the federal policy committee, which he chaired, I saw that this did in fact happen. He would argue his case, often passionately, but once a decision was made would own it publicly even if it wasn't his personal view. So, I was not surprised when he took on the role of deputy prime minister in a Conservative-led coalition with such aplomb. I have no doubt he would have done the same in a coalition with Labour.
As one of only four to speak against the coalition at our special conference in May 2010, like many in Liberal Left, my opposition has been unwavering. For others, whose starry-eyed excitement at the prospect of being in government was clear at the time, the shiny stuff began to wear off before long. For some it began with our apparent betrayal on tuition fees, for some it was the NHS, for others welfare and legal aid changes. For yet others, Lords reform has proven to be the final straw. The man who promised to do politics differently, the leader of the party with a manifesto commitment to "clean up politics" suddenly became tarnished by the constant tinkle of apparently broken promises. And his foot soldiers, uncomfortably, became tarnished by association.
So the Liberal Democrat Voice (LDV) poll suggesting that half of Lib Dem party members want Clegg to resign before the election shouldn't come as a surprise, and Clegg's office oughtn't to be so quick to dismiss it as "unrepresentative", especially as LDV generally tends to be slightly more reflective of the right of the party. My concern, though, is that while focusing on one person we must not neglect the elephant in the room, namely the disastrous Tory-led approach to the economy.
Maybe it's not too late for Clegg to turn this around. Maybe an apology or mea culpa over tuition fees, NHS, welfare, legal aid, employment law reforms would suffice. Maybe an admission that they've got it wrong on the economy and a return to the promise in our manifesto regarding deficit reduction, namely "we must ensure timing is right. If spending is cut too soon it will undermine the much needed recovery and cost jobs".
But I fear that Clegg is trapped, being seen as all too comfortable with the Tories and willing to adopt their mantras, even on issues of civil liberties. So perhaps the solution is to separate the role of deputy prime minister and party leader (something not unheard of in British politics) and allow a new leader to reaffirm who we are as a party and what we stand for. If Clegg and the party were to accept that as a way forward it would avoid a bloody leadership battle, and give the activists some hope that the rumours of our imminent demise have been greatly exaggerated.