Getting hung up

The prospect of a hung parliament might be having a downward effect on house prices but it could entirely screw up Andy Coulson’s ability to pay his mortgage – especially if his boss picks up on the glaring fact the party’s media champion misjudged the Clegg effect on tory vote share as badly as everyone else.

On Monday, the Conservative campaign offices resounded to the noise of crashing gears as an anti-Labour PPB was pulled and then replaced by a David Cameron talking head promo. The last minute switch aimed at retaking middle ground lost to the real enemy, i.e. the Lib Dems relies on the premise that promoting Dave is probably better tactics than a full-frontal attack on Nick and his policies. The received wisdom among the sounder types at Central Office is that the press are better at that sort of thing anyway.

But what is worrying tory (and Labour) activists today is that no-one in the media, as yet, seems to be asking anything resembling a searching question about Lib Dem policy or spending plans. At some levels, political commentators seem stuck in the assumed role of witnesses recounting the details of a car accident that happened a few days ago. The X-factor is whether the Lib Dem leader can sustain his newly found popularity into and beyond tomorrow’s resumed leader’s debate and if his performance has a sustaining effect on the party’s status in the polls. If he can, then he can finally come clean about his asking price for establishing coalition politics at Westminster – and then things will get really dirty, as happened the other day.

Whilst Clegg may have defeated the curse of personal anonymity, he knows that overcoming the inequities of the current FTP voting system is quite another thing. At present, the projected three way split only gives the Lib Dems 100 seats for their 30% support with 305 and 206 going to Labour and Conservatives respectively. Theoretically, the better that the Lib Dems do at the expense of the tories, the better the chance of Labour forming a single figures majority government by doing a deal with some of the odd-bins parties that make up the remaining 10 percent. Electoral reform is therefore going to be top of Clegg’s shopping list.

Given the emphasis on fairness by all main contenders in this election, it should be a no-brainer. But that alone will not mean an end to the excesses of successive governments that have exercised executive powers and then made excuses to parliament afterwards. It is only the start of reform.

Idea for graphic nicked from Steve Green's excellent Daily Referendum blogsite.