Latest News & Blog
Have your say on current issues

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have pulled off a 100 day mark of the coalition government just last week. As the applause simmers down, it’s time to delve into the hardcore facts about this amalgamation; can it be concluded that ‘two is better than one,’ as boy band Boys like Girls and Taylor Swift once serenaded?

After being at loggerheads for years, the decisions that are made on the other side of that famous black door in Downing Street are now the accountability of two men, and two parties. The anarchy and calamity that some, including the Conservative Party, warned would result from a hung Parliament has yet to be materialised.

The deficit- the gap between what the Treasury takes in tax revenue and how much taxpayers' cash the government spends - has been the utmost priority on the coalitions list. During the General Election the Liberal Democratic Party repeatedly challenged the Conservatives’ allegiance to a tougher and tighter budget. It was a while, post election till the Lib Dems finally warmed up to the Tories’ idea. The coalition have since stood firmly on an united front on the need to act immediately, and act boldly and it seems that when it comes to those seated around the cabinet table or in junior government roles, the two parties have gelled astoundingly well.

However the Schools policy has become apparent as a potential hitch for the coalition. According to a Guardian/ICM poll 42% of voters think the government is doing a bad job in reforming schools, against 23% who believe it is doing a good job. Education is one of the few areas where the cuts are already being felt, and education secretary Michael Gove's protracted difficulties over his axing of Labour's schools rebuilding programme forms the backdrop to the ICM survey.The coalition is planning free schools which, Gove believes, will create a new generation of "independent state schools" led by dedicated groups of parents and teachers. However, the free school agenda is discordant among Liberal Democrats. Rebel Lib Dems plan to make free schools central at next month's party conference, where delegates will debate a motion that describes them as a "socially divisive, likely to depress education results and an uneconomical use of resources in an age of austerity".

The Coalition which seems to be winning the argument on the economy mainly on the outlook of business groups: according to a Guardian/ ICM poll 44% are in favour of its cuts-based deficit-cutting strategy (in contrast to 37% who think they're doing a bad job). The question is will it be able to maintain these numbers in six months or so, when the tax hikes and spending cuts kick in? The Government may have convinced people of the need for cuts in theory, but it could be a very different story when people are confronted with the harsh reality of austerity, and see the practical consequences of the Coalition's approach.

As the coalition advances, the spotlight on the relationships within and between the parties is bound to rise; it can anticipate a lot more heat in the next 100 days, especially those who remember that Gordon Brown also marked his 100 days with positive feedback, making it premature to comment. With unease about the coalition generally running deeper among the Liberal Democrats than the Conservatives it is clear that there may be rocky times ahead specially after October’s spending review and then more again in the 100 days after that, as the VAT  hike kicks in.

 

 

< Prev