All through the last 6 weeks of hustings and Gordon Brown speeches I can't remember any mention of inviting Lib Dems into the Cabinet and in effect forming a coalition government. I must have missed it somewhere along the line.
Let's be clear Gordon Brown has no mandate whatever for a coalition with the Liberals. Politiccal parties are elected on the basis of their manifestoes being placed before the electorate. If a leader of a party wishes to enter into a coalition with another political party then that proposition should be democratically determined in an election.
Gordon Brown may have mentioned wanting a Government of all the talents but at no stage in his speeches to meetings of party members during the leadership process has he ever suggested a coalition with the Liberals. He should have had the decency to consult his colleagues in the Parliamentary Labour Party and the party on such significant matters of principle. I believe that many would have been more circumspect in giving him their support if they knew these were his plans.
I have tabled today a Early Day Motion in Parliament as follows;
"That this House holds to the view that under the British system of open democracy, Governments are formed after the people have been given the oportunity to express their wishes through the ballot box at a general election; and therefore considers that no form of coalition government should be established without the people being given the right to have a say in a general election."
Attempts at behind the scenes secret deals and ignoring the party and the PLP does not bode well for the style of government we are to expect after Wednesday. This type of old politics will just alienate more of our supporters and put even more people off politics generally.
