Mehdi Hasan, in the New Statesman, is very unimpressed with our new coalition. He calls the PM and his deputy "TweedleCam and TweedleClegg", and accuses the Lib Dems of "surrender". He claims Mr Clegg "has betrayed progressives across the length and breadth of Britain" and "betrayed the longer-term strategic interests of his party, for crude and short-term tactical gains".

Mehdi Hasan should get of his high horse. This is exactly the kind of cynicism and back-stabbing that this country doesn’t need. Frankly, from a top journalist at the
Statesman, a publication that influences a lot of people, it is very irresponsible.
It sounds bitter more than anything, and while many people will feel short changed. WE have to look at the good that these two men will do us.
Nick Clegg has done brilliantly. He will be able to do much of what he said he would do if he were in power. One of the reasons I was passionate about the Tories not getting into office was the inheritance tax. Which meant an extra £200,000 for the 3000 richest families in the country at the expense of the working majority. Clegg has stopped this with his deal. On the flip side, Clegg’s proposed ‘Mansion tax’ has also been abandoned as part of the compromise which, to be fair, is one that makes everyone happy.

While I admit, I can be bitter about certain things in this blog. But where my readership is in the 10s of people, the Statesman’s readership is in the 1000s.
Although it is pretty funny calling Cameron and Clegg TweedleCam and TweedleClegg it would have been more at home and less damaging if it were to be in a satirical cartoon.

Another great thing about this Con-Lib alliance is that Clegg has had to give up his bizarre ‘Trident’ policy, however Cameron has agreed to attempt to make the defense less ‘money hemorrhaging’
He will however get a referendum on the democratic process to make the whole system fairer.

All this when he only managed 57 seats. It is a masterstroke. I really hope it works. Clegg has become almost Obama-like during the last month. He insists on being listened too and he gets it, he makes people feel they are getting a good deal even though it is him that is getting his way. I can guarantee that it is not just Cameron that will want a picture opportunity with him

Anyone that is upset, or that agrees with Hasan’s jibe of Clegg ‘betrayed the longer-term strategic interests of his party, for crude and short-term tactical gain’ should look at how much Clegg has single-handedly changed the whole landscape of conservative policies. While Clegg has gained power from his deal I think, and I say this without hindsight and I very much could be wrong, I think he is a stand up guy that has the interests of the country at heart.

Clegg hasn’t surrendered Mehdi, it was this (which is a lot) or absolutely nothing. We do not have the conservatives in power. We should all be happy. Failing that, we should at least be optimistic.


Having said that, I still wish that it was Brown in power as he had proven it was for the country and not him. His farewell speech was emotional and dignified. He is a family man and the best man for the job and I am very sorry to see him go. But this is what we voted for. Let’s just hope it works and we end up like Germany, who have an allied government and have the strongest economy in Europe. And not end up like Greece.

*This is my opinion only and I have never studied politics, so take this with a huge pinch of salt.