Do you remember “I agree with Nick”: 

Seven years ago my Twitter feed was filled with bright young people telling the world that the liberal democrat’s would be a great option for our nation  

They achieved a huge portion of the public vote, but had a relatively small number of Parliamentary seats and went into government with the only party that they realistically could given how belligerent Brown was being. 

 Naive, and unaccustomed to power, they made some rookie mistakes. The back tracking on student fees – given that their base support was students and parents of students – was a disaster for them. And Nick Clegg quickly looked too cosy with David Cameron. Power is alluring and even a small influence is intoxicating for a party never expecting to get any of it. 

So move forward five years and everyone desserts Clegg. Fair enough? But what happens next?

The coalition government was relative successful in steadying the country,  the Liberal Democrats were able to take away the harshest excesses of Tory government, Cameron was able to fend off an attack from the right flank of his party because he had Nick to consider as well. 

But after just one year of Conservative rule we  basically have a colossal mess!!

And then Clegg wrote this the day before the Brexit vote…. 

Maybe they do still know a thing or two after all. 

Paul Goldsmith writes today about the possibility of forming a progressive Democratic party made up of shadow cabinet MPs who can’t stomach a continuing Corbyn any more, Lib Dems and some one nation Tories. 

But if that’s not possible maybe it will be time for  the 20%+ of the population who voted for Clegg to get behind the Lib Dems again… If labour lurch left and another Etonian is in Downing Street that should leave the middle ground wide open…. 
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This article appeared in the Huffington post three months after i wrote this blog. Worth a read