Run Over

Nick Clegg graciously informs The Guardian that his party would not seek Cabinet positions in the coming hung Parliament. As if they would have been offered any.

Half of the Labour Party hates the Lib Dems far more than it hates the Tories, with whom it has very little contact. Half of the Conservative Party hates the Tories far more than it hates Labour, with which it has very little contact.

In a hung Parliament, most MPs would come from those heartland seats in both parties, either of which would split organically and permanently if there were any deal with the real enemy.

Coalition between Labour and the Tories, usually for the specific purpose of keeping out the Lib Dems, is quite routine in local government. Germany was run on much that basis until fairly recently, for essentially the same reason.

Clegg expected to be asked whom he would support in a hung Parliament, so that he thought himself clever and important by preempting that question today. But in reality, no one was ever going to ask him it, anyway.

In which case, what is he for?