Have we been allowed off the naughty step? Do our school reports now just say 'Must Try Harder...?'

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed a change in the way the media are covering the Lib Dems right now?

Once not so long ago everything we did was wrong. Tuition fees, VAT rises, therate of the cuts, losing front line NHS staff – all our fault, nothing to do with anybody else.

But now, there’s a shift in tone. In two ways.

1. Try a bit harder.

The general tenor seems to be that we are doing the right thing – just not enough of it.

The Freedom Act and Police Reform and Social responsibility Act are good things – but don’t go far enough.

Nick Clegg’s and Ian Duncan Smiths plans for social mobility have their heart in the right place – but don’t go far enough.

Reform of the House of Lords is a good thing – but doesn’t go far enough

2. Dilute the Tories.

Paul Waugh had a whole list of things we’ve got the Tories to U turn on a few weeks ago.

Now a huge amount of the pressure on transforming the NHS Reforms is coming from us.

Plus there’s Nicks recent pronouncements on nuclear power and muliculturalsim (beautifully reviewed here by Allegra Stratton).

And it goes on...


Now, if we can have media coverage for the next 4 years saying we’re the handbrake that keeps the Tories on the straight and narrow and everything we do is right, can we just have a bit more of it please – well, I for one won’t be complaining…