Party urged to see relationship with Conservatives as if it was a marriage leaving the honeymoon period
Nick Clegg's party has been urged to view its relationship with the Conservatives as if it was a marriage passing from the honeymoon period to the irritation of living together.
The advice was given by Lousewies van der Laan, a former leader of the Dutch Liberal Democrats and colleague of Clegg in the European parliament.
Clegg's Lib Dems have been trying to learn the dos and don'ts of coalition politics from their partners in Europe, where coalitions are the norm. Clegg organised an all-day seminar at Westminster involving Dutch, Belgians and Germans in November and attended by both his peers and MPs.
The advice has been given fresh relevance as Liberal Democrats prepare to patch up relations with Conservatives after the embarrassing publication of criticism and grumbles heaped on the Tories in private by some of Clegg's ministers as they spoke to undercover Daily Telegraph reporters.
Clegg is determined that his party should not resort to a running commentary on the state of relations between the two parties.
He does not want the party to bang on about how it defeated the Conservatives on certain policies, but at the same time thinks it is legitimate to claim selective positive victories which do not anger the Conservative right-wing.
Much of Clegg's thinking is based on the advice given by Van der Laan, based on her own experience in the Netherlands. She counselled the Lib Dems "on how to set up house and the first common projects".
Her positive advice included: "Do ensure your ministers can sell the coalition (including taking responsibility for the compromises) while reaffirming your party identity throughout.
"Do keep making it clear why you went in and manage expectations. ('If you want us to do our electoral programme, give us an absolute majority.') Do let each other shine ? grant each his moment of glory, but keep it in balance. Do keep communicating with the party.
"Do keep communicating with the coalition. ('This ticked me off, I didn't retaliate, but don't do it again.') Do find room for the debate. Between the daily hypes and dossiers with a 10-year lead time, there are openings for real change ? find them."
On the other hand, Van der Laan counselled: "Don't retaliate. (Tit for tat hardly works in politics.) But do react in-house.
"Don't hang out your dirty linen in public, don't gloat when others stumble. Don't begrudge the other half victories, they need them like they need yours.
"Don't publicly ask for compensation if you don't get your way, it will look like a sellout."
She says the chief rule to remember in this period is that the "opposition will screw you when they can. They will vote against everything they stand for if they think it will lead to a government collapse; do not count on them for anything."
In a third section described as the irritation of living together, Van der Laan suggests: "If there is one dissatisfied member of the party, the evening news will find him.
"Do keep the party on board. (Regularly give the party line to take to the party faithful, who always get the microphones.)
"Do exude self confidence, stay in your strength, make it clear that you have nothing to hide.
"Do listen to constructive advice, but tell complainers to come up with alternatives. Stay relaxed with bad polls ? it is all par for the course.
"Do keep focusing on the common goals; remember why you got in in the first place.
In her final rule she states: "Atmospherics count both internally and externally: make sure personal relations are good and reliable."
Her final don'ts are: "Don't try to raise your profile at the expense of your partner. Don't take advice from people who have the jobs: personal interest clouds their judgment. And don't get sidetracked from the big picture."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/dec/27/lib-dems-coalition-advice-dutch-mp
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