Understanding a Coalition

10.08.37am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 22nd Jul 2010

Those who fervently wish to see the Coalition fail are getting excited about Nick Clegg's comment at Prime Ministers Questions about 'the illegal Iraq war'. Once again we need to ram home that the LibDems have NOT joined the Conservative Party; the Coalition is NOT an electoral pact; and, that as an independent Party with our own history & policies, we are perfectly entitled within the Coalition to take a different view from the Conservatives and indeed have an obligation to do so. It is fact that the Tories were even more enthusiastic than Labour in support of the invasion of Iraq & Nick is quite right to express the LibDem view on this issue, including from the Dispatch Box.