The Spectator warns Cameron against a coalition with the Liberal Democrats

In the leader column for its latest edition, The Spectator has warned against a coalition with the Liberal Democrats should David Cameron fail to win a majority:

"Without a majority, Mr Cameron will be back on the election trail soon — probably within a year. He should ask himself: how does he want to spend that year? Governing on his own terms? Or in a never-ending series of principles-for-power compromises with Nick Clegg’s divided party? Worst of all, if he agrees to electoral reform, the Conservatives — as we know them — might never find themselves in a position to govern again."

The Spectator says that Nick Clegg should be allowed to form a coalition with Labour if he chooses:

"If they threaten to join with Gordon Brown and let Labour cheat political death, then so be it. But the marriage would not last, and the public would pass judgment in the election that would follow when their axis collapses. By spurning Mr Clegg’s advances, Mr Cameron can still govern — he only needs a parliamentary majority to pass laws, and there is reassuringly little in his manifesto that requires new primary legislation."

Most Tory members would agree with this. Last week, a ConHome survey found 49% saying a coalition would be "unacceptable". Only 10% thought it would be "acceptable" and most of the remainder said it would be "disappointing".

Also in The Spectator, Political Editor James Forsyth reports that there may be an emergency meeting of the parliamentary party after an indecisive election result and that meeting would make it clear that "any form of PR would be unacceptable". James continues:

"Those who know Cameron well believe that the parliamentary party’s fears about what he might offer up are unfounded. One tells me that Cameron’s instinct will be ‘to go it alone’ and that he is fully aware that the Liberal Democrats are ‘going to want what we are not prepared to give them’."

Hopefully we'll win a majority and there'll be no need for any of this. To help victory please give to the YellowToBlue campaign.

Tim Montgomerie