I'm shocked, shocked...

Nick Clegg can't seem to catch an even break sometimes. With Sir Malcolm Rifkind somehow comparing the Lib-Lab talks as being related to Robert Mugabe's style of government (why yes, of course - he's in a coalition for the national interest too - it's just the same!) and David Blunkett comparing them to "every harlot in history" (and he should know), the revelation that Nick Clegg is exploring all the options rather than staying true to David Cameron is apparently a huge and shocking revelation.

One can't help but imagine Rifkind in the role of Captain Renault in Casablanca, shocked to see such behaviour. The lady doth protest too much: if Sir Malcolm really didn't think that the Liberal Democrats would be trying to explore every option, to shop around a little bit, then he really is in the wrong career (which would be a bit of a shame as he's been doing it for quite a long time). It's not a question of honour or of loyalty, or even of some sort of 'coalition of the losers' somehow usurping the 'winners' - I think perhaps it would be better to describe the Tories as those who lost less.

No, the only thing that Nick Clegg and the Lib Dems have to worry about is whether they are accurately and properly seeking to implement the manifesto commitments they made to the 23% of the public who voted for them. Some might say that Nick Clegg should talk to Satan if himself if Old Nick favoured proportional representation. I'd not go so far - but I'm glad for one that he's talking to everyone, that the best deal is being sought for those who voted for him and his party, and that our politicians are slowly, painfully in cases, turning to a genuinely different sort of politics. Ish.

If Rifkind and Blunkett object to the Liberal Democrats so much, perhaps they could try to form a coalition between themselves...