I spent two hours in the Council Chamber on Tuesday evening listening to a debate on the Agreement proposed by the Conservative-Lib Dem Coalition that now controls Reading. The Agreement sets out the objectives of the new Coalition Administration (available online at http://www.readinglibdems.org.uk/2010/06/the-liberal-democrat-conservative-coalition/ ).

Unsurprisingly, the Agreement contains bits of Lib Dem policy and bits of Tory policy and yes, there are bits that we do not like and there are bits that the Tories do not like but that is the nature of coalition agreements, there is give and take on both sides. What amazed me during the debate was spleen vented by  Labour at the Lib Dems for daring to enter a coalition, the charge of traitors coming from the Labour benches, how could we suddenly change trackaway from our erstwhile partners in progressive  politics? If the Labour Party was so progressive then we would not have witnessed the huge growth in the gap between rich and poor in this country since 1997 (and yes it widened under the Tories as well but they never pretended to be’progressive’), we would not have seen the introduction of tuition fees, we would have seen education treated as a priority and not just an election slogan, we would not have the largest jail population in Western Europe, we would not have wated billions on the ID card system, the list goes on.

So for all ‘progressives’ in the Labour Party, here is a thought. If we believe in proportional representation or even an Alternative Vote electoral system, the outcome will surely make coalition government more common and end the curent system where Labour or Tory governments make radical reforms to our country with the backing of only 35% of the voters. Very few elections give any one party over 50% of the total vote on their own. Don’t listen to the dinosaurs in your own party or you will be in opposition for a very long time.