[anonymous_sorry]

I also used to argue that it was unfair to criticise the Lib Dems too harshly over tuition fees, because they hadn't won the election, and as the junior partner in a coalition obviously had to compromise on parts of their manifesto. Reasonable people could perhaps disagree on how hard they should have negotiated with the Conservatives on that point.

Then someone pointed out to me the tuition fee thing wasn't just a manifesto policy. Every Lib Dem candidate in that election had (at the direction of the campaigns department) signed a personal pledge to vote against a rise in tuition fees during the next parliament. Most of them broke that pledge in pretty spectacular fashion (at the direction of party leadership).

I didn't really have an answer to that, and still don't.

[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vote_for_Students_pledge