I was under the misapprehension that, since this is a Coalition Government, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats take the same whip.
This misunderstanding was buttressed by the Number 10 website, which lists Alistair Carmichael as a Deputy Chief Whip (and number three in the Whips’ Office).
via Are Liberal Democrat MPs now free to abstain if Ed Miliband tables a no-confidence vote in the Government?, by the superb Paul Goodman and well worth a read. As this inward-looking drama for political animals continues, I shall support the Government.
In the longer term, the Government should explore how to “encourage media plurality” by reducing, perhaps eliminating, the barriers erected by the state against entry into television and radio. The internet has moved this area of our lives a very long way: the BBC dominates across the spectrum and I’m not convinced policy, particularly policy for plurality and public service broadcasting, has kept pace.
