Hi Frothers! I have been very remiss lately and not read or posted. However, do you remeber right back in the first thread I emailed my Lib-Dem MP with our concerns and linked in the thread (probably not, but anyway, I did). I have just had a reply from him - it is very long - I think he must have taken my email seriously. I'll copy it below:
First of all, please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in this reply.
I am sorry to hear that you are so dismayed at the work which the Liberal Democrats have managed to achieve while in coalition. I certainly understand your frustration, and I agree that, were the Liberal Democrats to be the main party in power, the situation would likely be very different.
I also understand your frustration at what have been some very tough choices on Government policy. Some policies going through Parliament are not necessarily what the Liberal Democrats would have wanted in an ideal world, and I accept that. Nonetheless, we are managing to get many policies through: around three quarters of the Lib Dem manifesto from the election is included in the coalition agreement, as compared to around two thirds of the Tory manifesto. I accept that on some big policies, such as the fight to make Parliament proportionally representative of the UK vote and tuition fees, we, as the Liberal Democrats, have not had our way. Indeed, I could not reconcile myself to the Government?s proposals on tuition fees given the pledge I had made before the election, and so I rebelled on that occasion. I kept that promise even though, looking at the detail of the legislation, most students will actually be better off under the new system: they won?t be paying back until they earn £21,000 or more per annum, and the watershed after thirty years will still be in place. I acknowledged, though, that I had already made a promise, and I could not in all conscience agree with the Government?s decision, especially given the amount of people who have felt betrayed since.
Yet, on policies such as doubling the income tax threshold to £10,000, and pushing for more urgent reform of the House of Lords, and working to minimise the impact of the cuts on the most vulnerable in our society (I can assure you that although the cuts are quite severe, they would likely have been even more so had the Conservatives won with a majority), the Lib Dems are having a disproportionately significant influence. We must remember that the Liberal Democrats represent only 16%, or 1 in 7 MPs in the governing coalition. We are doing what we can, but I can understand that for many voters that may not be enough, and I am dismayed by that. I do sincerely wish that more Liberal Democrat policies could be brought forward, and legislated on.
You mention that the Liberal Democrats should be willing to break up the coalition if necessary, in order to force our policies through. I must say that I do not believe that that is a viable option. Were the country to be in a good position financially, and in a stable environment, then I would not hesitate to say that an election could be one possible alternative, but that is not the case. We find ourselves in one of the longest recessions, or stagnations, in our country?s history, and we are doing quite well compared to the rest of Europe. Adding political instability to an already volatile financial situation could be catastrophic for the UK economy; even the overt threat of such action could cause untold harm. The reason we entered a coalition in the first place was because the situation was too volatile to risk a minority Government, and/or a second election, and the situation globally has gotten worse since then, especially when we consider our direct neighbours in the EU.
So, in summary; I understand you frustrations, and I sympathise, deeply. There have been occasions where I have felt unable to support the Government?s policies, and I have fought, behind the scenes and on occasion in public, for the Government to change its policies on a variety of issues, including the most recent u-turn on mobility allowance for the disabled in residential care, for example. The coalition is by no means ideal, but I do sincerely believe that it is right to continue in it, and I urge you to look in greater detail at the policies which Liberal Democrats are pushing through Parliament. We are having an impact on a whole range of fronts, even if that impact is not always noted in the Press.
A final note: I can assure you that I fervently hold to the ideals I was elected on, and you can see that by the way I vote, and by the fact I do rebel when I cannot reconcile the Government?s policies with the will of people across Ceredigion. To my astonishment this has actually been recognised in the Press! (see: www.walesonline.co.uk/news/welsh-politics/welsh-politics-news/2012/01/05/the-feisty-four-welsh-politicians-making-an-impact-in-the-westminster-theatre-91466-30061693/) Please do continue to explain to me what policies I can help you with, and when you feel Government policies do not match up to your concerns, or are not for the good of the nation as a whole. I am more than happy to listen to your concerns, and to make representations on your behalf where necessary. That is what I am elected to do, after all.
I hope that this has helped reassure you to some degree, and that this email has been taken in the spirit that it was meant. I hope that, even if we differ in our opinion of the coalition, you will not hesitate to contact me again on any issue where you feel I may be of assistance, and I will see what I can do.
I have taken my name and his off it for anonymity reasons.