[pjc50]

I would accept not being able to abolish tuition fees, but having a three-line whip imposed to vote to increase them after making a "personal pledge"? No, that was definitely wrong. The Lib Dem party should have revolted at that point and fees should have been left at their level.

Agreeing to a referendum on the voting system without securing agreement that the Tories would not campaign against it was also incredibly tactically stupid.

The coalition negotiations were far too quick and cheap. It should have been over a few weeks rather than a couple of days. Anyway, the public punished the Lib Dems by re-relegating them to minor party status.

[scott_w]

> I would accept not being able to abolish tuition fees, but having a three-line whip imposed to vote to increase them after making a "personal pledge"?

This was key for me that turned it from being the unfortunate reality of politics into a serious breach of trust. I remember saying at the time that I'd have accepted keeping fees but tripling them was like slapping your voters in the face.

I understand they were stitched up by the Tories: the budget gutted university funding, meaning the choice was increase fees or watch higher education collapse. That being said, they needed to find another way.

From a strategic perspective, too, it was the biggest cause of their 2015 annihilation. Their entire message of "we'll moderate the Tories" had the ready response of "you mean like tuition fees?"

[ajb]

I always assumed that the LDs planned to stay in coalition for a few years, then exit over some point of principle, restoring their reputation as an independent party. Failing to do that seems like a clear mistake on their part, in hindsight. A lot of things could have been different now if they had made that move in 2014 or so.

[corney91]

Maybe with hindsight, but their main policy was/is electoral reform which would end up with more coalitions. They needed to prove coalitions can work. Funnily enough, I'd argue they managed to do that after seeing the governments FPTP has given us since the 2015 election.

[pydry]

>Failing to do that seems like a clear mistake

It wasnt any more a mistake than the decision to take a bribe was a mistake.