Lib/Con coalition? I think not.

Thursday was the first time I voted in a General Election. I was looking forward to standing up and being counted, to having my voice heard among the 51,630 voters in my constituency. It was not an unpleasant experience; the staff at the polling station congratulated me on having voted, and I like to think that my vote was well researched and considered. I am so disappointed with the outcome of the election, however; it proves how broken our electoral system is. The only good thing to have come out of the First Past the Post system is the fact that the BNP gained no seats, having targeted areas with no success. A hung parliament will, assumedly, lead to a coalition which, in turn, will lead to massive gridlock as parties with differing ideologies will be forced to work together to try and fix the economy (which I am assuming is the main issue for most people). A Lib Dem/Conservative party cannot feasibly work; it proves, instead, how much politicians will sacrifice in their quest for power. Clegg cannot seriously believe that Cameron will pay any attention to liberal policy once inside Number 10. For example, the Conservatives want to actively encourage Academy status throughout schools, whereas the Lib Dems want to scrap Academies, replacing them instead with 'Sponsor Managed Schools'. The Lib Dems want a wholly elected second chamber, while the Conservatives say they will 'work towards' a 'mainly elected' House of Lords - looking after their wealthy peers, no doubt. The Tories want to speed up planning processes for nuclear power plants, the Lib Dems want to remove them completely. The issue of Europe is another point of contention; Clegg's party support wholeheartedly Britain's membership of the EU, agreeing to the Euro in principle and wanting to opt-in to pan-European justice policies. The Conservatives, on the other hand, did not agree to being a part of the European Union in the first place. They want to pass the UK Sovereignty Bill, which would ensure that ultimate power stays in Westminster. The two parties have little in common; why would their fundamental values be any different if they were in a power-sharing situation?
It doesn't surprise me that Cameron is reaching out to Clegg; not only would it mean a combined majority in the Commons, but would also allow the Conservatives to enjoy the typical youth vote of the Lib Dems. I wonder, however, how much support the Liberal Democrats will lose if they were to join with the Conservatives. Time will tell, I suppose. I know I will lose respect for Clegg if, or even when, he joins with the Tories.