Nick Clegg’s caution on coalition

Published: 18 February 2010
by TOM FOOT and RICHARD OSLEY

NICK Clegg has warned that coalitions between political parties do not always work out, even though his colleagues on the ground in Camden have spent the past three years working with the Tories.

The New Journal interviewed the Liberal Democrat Party leader on the subject of deals with political opponents when he visited Kilburn on ­Friday morning to promise businesses a fairer deal and improved rates under his party.

In the event of a hung Parliament, Mr Clegg could have a major say in the result of any post-election poker games and may have to decide whether he will enter into pacts with rivals.

But he was toeing a cautious line as he met with colleagues in Camden, who will be facing a similar dilemma if council elections fail to produce an outright winner on May 6.

“There’s no one rule to this,” said Mr Clegg. “Some work well, some don’t. The key test for me is what provides the best safety, security, value for money and sustainability for local communities. Whether that’s yellow, red, blue, blue and yellow, blue on it’s own. It’s not a game of colours. It’s about the social services and community services that people rely on.

“I think it is dangerous if people think that should be somehow made subservient to local games between political parties.” He added: “But look here: People in Camden don’t walk around with a tattoo on their heads saying, ‘I’m Conservative’, ‘Liberal Democrat’ and ‘Labour’. They want councils that are transparent, look after taxpayers’ money, keep them safe and provide good care. 

“The key test for a council is what provides that. The great thing about local democracy is that it depends immensely on what people are saying to politicians in terms of how they vote.”

When Labour lost its grasp on Camden Town Hall in 2006, no one party had enough councillors to hold a majority. 

To fill the void, the Lib Dems and the Tories entered into a power-sharing pact which sees 60 per cent of the seats in the ruling cabinet held by the Lib Dems and the rest held by the Conservatives. The deal, which those close to the negotiations say was finally brokered in the flat of current council leader Keith Moffitt, meant Labour had no final say on policies in Camden for the first time in more than three decades and occupy the opposition benches.

A familiar story goes that Labour was offered seats in a rainbow coalition but refused point blank to work in any capacity with the Conservatives – but different councillors offer conflicting recollections of how discussions panned out.

The Lib Dems are going for their first ever outright majority in Camden. With a series of by-election wins they have the largest number of seats they have ever held in Camden but are still short of having a maj­ority.

Cllr Moffitt said: “I believe strongly in proportional representation and if you have that system then the product would often be coalition government. We are going for an outright majority this year in Camden. We wouldn’t rule out working with anyone in a coalition but that isn’t our focus now.”

He added: “I think the coalition has worked well and there has been three years of achievement. It’s often about the people involved, the person­alities. 

“Maybe if the Conservatives had a leader in Camden who was more right-wing, we would have found it more difficult, because you do have to compromise. That said, I do think you can see the achievements that the Lib Dems have brought to Camden.”

Conservative leader Councillor Andrew Marshall said: “We are not thinking about what coalitions might be formed in the future. It’s a hypothetical question. We are campaigning for an overall majority in Camden. 

“I don’t think council tax would have been frozen for three of the years without us in the coalition. Maybe some of the stuff in getting a new school open would have been slower if we had not had [Conservative] Andrew Mennear.”

Labour deputy leader Cllr Jonathan Simpson said: “We are absolutely clear that we wouldn’t go into any coalition with a party that was committed to selling off council homes. We will be going for an overall majority for Labour.”

He said that the Lib Dems had been “indecisive” and “evasive” in the coalition in Camden, while “although I fundamentally disagree with the Conservatives at least they say why they are doing things.”

Labour day? Email leak

A RESPECTED Liberal Democrat councillor has raised the prospect of Labour winning back control of Camden Council in May’s borough-wide elections.

Party bosses do not agree with the prediction apparently made by Councillor Alexis Rowell, the 

“eco-champion”, in an email leaked around the Town Hall.

His message was meant to raise concerns about the future of the council’s sustainability taskforce, but it’s his comments about the possible future make-up of the council which have caught the eye of rivals.

“The Camden Labour group, which may well have the most councillors after May 6 if the general and local elections are held on the same day, has, apart from Penny [Abraham, Labour councillor] shown zero interest in the taskforce,” the email read. 

Party organisers are adamant the Lib Dems can withstand a possible squeeze if the election dates coincide and the contest is built up as a straight fight between Labour and the Conservatives.