The devil is always in the detail of these things and how generic aspirations are actually implemented. Without a lot more detail cast in stone the Lib Dems are hostage to the Tory's good faith and unwillingness to use their majority to ram things through cabinet.
It all still reads like a composite election manifesto than an actual five year programme for Government. Governing is about more than PR and policy implementation is about more than vague aspirations. I suspect that the Lib Dems inexperience of Government will cost them as times moves on, events take their toll, and the Civil Service meat grinder turns all their grand aspirations (limited as they are) into paltry tokenism.
The other thing that bothers me is Clegg's lack of a substantive portfolio with a serious department to back him up. Other Senior Lib Dems have done well to get strong portfolios - Business and Banking (Cable), Environment and Climate Change (Huhne) and Treasury (Laws). But 5 out of 22 isn't much and what substantive policy role will Clegg have - or is he just the front of house PR guy? Frank's Home Page and Diary Index
Governing is about more than PR
What gave you that Unserious idea?
and policy implementation is about more than vague aspirations.
What, no hope and change?
- Jake If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.
The change will be a Tory government with fire in their eyes for any slob making less than £100,000/year.
The hope seems to be this government will soon be one with Nineveh and Tyre.
Read all about it here! Frank's Home Page and Diary Index
Parties in the UK, as I grasp the matter, are not used to and nor do they want multi-party government. Thus, neither side is knowledgeable or skilled in the necessary to-and-fro required for a stable multi-party government. It goes against the grain.
OK, if that is so then it's possible to predict the Tories will run the government as if they had a majority and the Lib/Dems can suck it. Clegg, the dumbass, has come into government and, to some extent, has to make it work in order to build the perception the LD is a Serious Party© or at least a Serious coalition partner.
That implies, to me, he is going to have to support essentially Tory policies and legislation. The obvious danger is building belief in the general voter's mind 'A vote for Lib/Dem is a vote for the Tories.' Something Labour should be licking their chops over.
In that case one might expect the five lib dems in the cabinet to push the parts of the coalition agreement falling under their brief. Supposedly Clegg does have a large brief including overseeing electoral reform. Then there's banking reform (Cable) and energy and environment (Huhne). Question: what does the "Chief Secretary to the Treasury" do and how does that relate with the Chancellor's portfolio? If the Chancellor does the budget, what does Laws get to do from his Treasury position? Finally, what can be expected of Danny Alexander as Scottish Secretary? The brainless should not be in banking -- Willem Buiter
