Interesting post. Thank you. Agree it is a one party system. They all belive essentially the same things. All agreed what can be questionad and what can't. WHat the poeple can chose and what they can't. All share the same aasumptions.

Leaving us with no choice.

And to top it iff, as you say, they're not even in charge.

Up to us to make sure it doesn't last. Step one is just to talk about it between ourslves to become confident in our thoughts. Step two tell others. Stpe three organize some fo the like minded.

Step four…well three steps at a time isn't bad is it?

But after the initial hilarity had worn off, two things struck me as being particularly salient.

First, he banged on about how he's so chuffed that British politics has moved beyond the old two party duopoly. That there's now so much more 'plurality, diversity and fluidity'. Isn't it just swell? Er, no. Have we ever seen less plurality in parliament? Less diversity? Not in my life time. Fluidity maybe. If fluidity means changing all your manifesto pledges as soon as you get a whiff of power.

I agree that we've moved beyond a two party duopoly. Some time ago I'd say. We've now got a one party monopoly. The party of high finance. Which brings me to the other thing he said that stuck out:

"He disclosed that conversations with the governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, and senior Treasury officials convinced him that "if you are an incoming government, especially if you are a coalition government, it is unbelievably important when you are facing a fiscal firestorm like this that you assert sovereignty and control over the situation, that you show you are going to deal with it on your own terms. You have a choice at the end of the day: do you want your government to try and sort out this mess or do you want faceless people in the bond market to force it upon you?"

Does he not see the contradiction here? We don't want a decision FORCED upon us, so we better CHOOSE NOW! Have we slipped through the looking glass here? Does this statement not contain a tacit acknowledgement that 'they' are in control and that our elected representatives lie prostrate and powerless before them? That our 'democracy' is a sham? That voting makes absolutely no f**king difference whatsoever?

If so, he seems very pleased with the situation doesn't he?

Don't get me wrong – I'm not Clegg bashing from a party political viewpoint. This just happened to set off my bullshit radar on Saturday. I think this mindset is representative of the lot of them. Willfully deluded. Unable to acknowledge that they're not holding the reigns and therefore powerless to do anything about it.

I hope you're right Golem. I hope this can't last.

As you say a strong leader might have been able to pull it off. But this bunch. Not a chance. End of the Lib Dems as a party.

We have to have new leadership and quite possibly a new party.

If the LibDems do manage to force a real vote on PR with rules for the vote that don't make a mockery of it – then they will not have died in vain and I for one will thank them.

* Unfortunately I haven't seen much sign of the right man in their ranks.