How I'm strangely cheered by coalition....maybe

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So we have a coalition – a “working-together”. I find this strangely cheering but am not sure why. After all I wanted and campaigned hard for an outright Conservative victory and would do so tomorrow. And – despite having many enthusiastically Labour supporting friends – I cannot understand at all why anybody who retains their marbles and a modicum of common sense can vote Labour.

But I am cheered. Firstly I think it’s because it’s gone surprisingly smoothly since the inconclusive election result. Credit for this must go to David Cameron who set out a willingness to negotiate a coalition right from the start. And to my party for avoiding (so far at least) a monumental fit of the grumps over having to co-operate with another party.

Secondly I am cheered because there are some areas (other than their truly bonkers economic policy) where the Liberal Democrats are more consistent than my party. I’m hopeful now that we will get a bonfire of Labour’s authoritarianism. This will cover ID cards, DNA databases for sure. I hope it will include the unnecessary Digital Economy Bill (although I support property rights including copyright – and will campaign against any attempt to water down the protection of those rights), the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act and a string of provisions under various Terrorism Acts.

Lastly, however, I am absolutely delighted that Labour is no longer in power. Not just Gordon Brown but the entirety of that controlling, bigoted, judgmental, interfering, dissembling and institutionally unpleasant excuse for a political party. Yet again Labour has done untold damage to my country. Not just bringing the world’s fourth largest economy to its knees but compromising our international reputation, creating the infrastructure need to institute a police state and destroying, on the spurious grounds of health or safety, a central part of English culture – the pub.

I’m looking forward to the coming months. I know there will be some disappointments. I doubt whether the health gauleiters will allow relaxation of the smoking ban or the unjustified assault on the drinking habits of harmless folk. But I am confident that some of the decisions and changes will begin to unpick worst of Labour’s poisonous legacy.

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