Don't Con Dem the coalition!

Having campaigned for the Lib Dems at the election, I had major reservations about the present coalition. However, the raft of proposals presented by Nick Clegg and the tone of the two leaders in bringing leading community leaders and activitists into serious partnership appears to offer a very positive basis for progress.

New Labour is now shown up for what it was; authoritarian, reactionary and politically and morally bankrupt (not to mention fiscally!). Any deal with Labour would not have been a 'progressive alliance' so much as a cloak for retaining power by the existing political elite at any price. This is not to question Brown's ethics as I am prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt in terms of his political values. However, he is a man whose career was founded on old approaches and whose temperament was not relevant for today's challenges. We now have the real - and totally unexpected - prospect of a new approach to government and governance, one in which governments seek to do less, but do it better. Instead of seeking to gain a popular headline and be 'seen to be doing something' the focus now seems to be on improving the way things work and not claiming to have all the answers. That way, you can involve more people, avoid bad mistakes and strengthen participatory, as well as representative, democracy.

One practical benefit of the new Con Dem coalition is that it may make it easier for Cameron to keep his right wing in check. To my surprise, I suddenly feel positive again and will put my reservations on hold.