If we have to have a Labour-FG coalition, let's at least hope there will be some true agreement, and not a Clegg-like masquerade.
That's what i'm worried about for Irish Labour...
I think there are some key differences. For one thing the LibDems had NEVER previously formed a coalition of any kind and had never been in government. Also, the LibDems had spent the last 20-odd years positioning themselves as a centre-left party that was clearly angling to eventually form an alliance with Labour. The Tories were never seen as a "natural coalition partner" of theirs and on top of that since the Tories have over 300 seats and the LibDems just 50 or so - the LibDems are heavily, heavily diluted within the coalition government.
In contrast in Ireland - Labour and FG have been coalition partners off and on for the past 6o or 70 years - the Irish are used to this combo and most if not all people voting Labour in Ireland would have done so with the expectation that labour would probably form a coalition with FG. Also since FG will have about twoce as many seats as Labour - that means Labour is in a position to negotiate for at least one third of all cabinet portfolios (unlike the scraps the LDs got by virtue of being outnumbers 6 to 1 by the Tories).
