Tories "rule out" Lib Dem alliance

So reads the headline in this morning's Daily Telegraph, which goes on to report:

David Cameron is prepared to rule out any coalition deal with the Liberal Democrats and will try to lead a minority government if the Tories narrowly fail to win an outright majority in the General Election on Thursday... Even if he fails to secure an outright majority, it is understood Mr Cameron is preparing to “go it alone” and form a minority government.

This is music to my ears and will similarly be welcomed by most ConHome readers, since our recent survey found only 12% of Conservative members saying such a pact was either desirable or acceptable (and I strongly suspect that Lib Dem activists would be similarly sceptical!).

I still believe that a small overall majority is within our grasp, although this is no time for any kind of complacency and continued hard work is needed all the way through until 10pm on Thursday, up and down the country, to make it happen.

However, If a hung parliament with the Conservatives shy of an overall majority were to come to pass, there seems to me to be every reason to press ahead with forming a minority government and seeking to enact the programme that will have been endorsed by the largest number of voters across the UK.

After all, I believe it would be highly foolish for the Lib Dems to join Labour in opposing elements of the Conservative programme, if they win enough seats to successfully form a blocking coaltiion. As I have argued before, such petulance would not be rewarded by the electorate in a second general election, making a hung parliament the breaking, not he the making, of the Lib Dems.

Today's Independent, meanwhile, suggests that Mr Cameron would challenge the notion that Gordon Brown, as incumbent Prime Minister, would get first call on forming a government even if the Conservatives won the largest number of seats but failed to attain enough for a Commons majority.

Jonathan Isaby