In government and in trouble

One of the arcane purposes of party conference season, or so the strategists would have you believe, is that it serves to clarify policy positions and can help boost popular support. The Liberal Democrats however seemed to have proved themselves an exception to this rule.

Key messages from the podium in Birmingham were that it was tough going in government but the junior coalition partners were punching above their weight and continued to be a moderating influence upon rabid, market-obsessed Tories who only wanted to help their rich mates.

But so much for perception management. A YouGov/Sun poll taken just a few days later showed that 35% (the single highest proportion) thought that Lib Dems most resembled the party that “seems to chop and change all the time: you can never be quite sure what it stands for”

Further bad news for Clegg was that just 4% felt the party is “led by people of real ability” while only 6% thought its “leaders are prepared to take tough and unpopular decisions”.

The only individual likely to take much encouragement out of such a dismal post-conference opinion survey is Tim Farron.