Alasdair MURRAY

The last few days have turned everything we thought we knew about British politics on its head.

For those of my generation, whose political views were formed either for or against the Conservative party of Thatcher and Major it remains disorientating to see the Lib Dems entering a fully fledged coalition with the Conservatives.

Before the weekend I was adamant the only possible outcome, if the Tories failed to win outright, was a minority government. And that this would prevail only until David Cameron thought he could safely return to the country to win a majority. We may still end up with an early election - there are many pitfalls ahead. But unravelling the coalition without suffering collateral damage would stretch even the Machiavellian talents of the now departed Lord Mandelson.

I am not surprised, if saddened, to receive emails from a few supporters suggesting they could no longer support the party. But, as if to confirm just how difficult a dilemma the leadership faced, I had just as many warning they would switch if we threw in our lot with Labour.

I believe the party has made the right decision. It is clear that a Lib-Lab pact was never feasible. Practically, the numbers didn't add up. Politically, Labour appeared unwilling to give ground on key liberal issues. Culturally, Labour dinosaurs continue to hold sway and a number were already touring the TV studios to suggest they would seek to wreck any deal even as talks continued. The 'old' politics, personified by the behaviour in government of Brown's inner cabal, is still sufficiently alive and well to have prevented any real attempt to embrace pluralism. This may change with a new leader but it was not on the negotiating table over the last few days.

We could have headed back (yet again) into principled opposition hoping to take advantage of any government unpopularity and Labour infighting. But that begs the question of what are we in politics for? To represent and articulate an important section of public opinion, of course. But also to change things for the better. The latter is virtually impossible unless you are willing to accept government with all the compromises that inevitably entails. Even a cursory examination of the new government's agenda confirms the point - ID cards gone, contact database gone, ending the detention of child migrants, pensions earnings link restored next year, moves towards increasing the income tax threshold and so on.

And we will get vital elements of political reform that would certainly not have been guaranteed if we had continued our 70-year stay in the wilderness. An elected House of Lords and fixed term Parliaments for a start. A referendum on voting reform. But above all, we have a chance to show that our alternative vision of politics - consensual, pluralist and flexible - can work. The alternative was to confirm the media's stereotype and play straight into the hands of the tribalists in both the other main parties.

Make no mistake we are in for a bumpy ride in the next few years. But we also have the chance to change the country and its politics for good. We cannot turn this opportunity down.

I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who voted for me last week. The fact that we substantially increased our vote to more than 13,000 bodes well for the future. I am also greatly heartened by the enthusiasm and new support we generated during the campaign. We do not intend to rest here but will continue to build towards the next election with the first (anticipated) step, the battle for the Council next May.

So Gordon has been to the Palace and the phoney war is finally over. Now there is just a month to persuade people it is worth getting out there to vote.

To kick things off, here is a short election message I have recorded via the Winkball video site.

While Gordon Brown is yet to fire the starting gun^*, many of the general election candidate runners and riders are already half way down the track. This has naturally started to fan speculation that a long, attritional campaign will serve only further to alienate politicans from the public rather than energise people to get out and vote. Even if the polls close in the coming weeks, it is entirely possible that the next government will win power with the suport of barely one fifth of the eligible electorate.

Yet public discontent with politicians should not conceal an appetite for political debate. Earlier this week I, along with the other main candidates in two Bournemouth seats (and Alderney/Branksome East), participated in a 'Question Time' type debate at the Bournemouth Hebrew Synagogue. The room was full and decidely not apathetic; the debate was frank.

Questions ranged widely, from tackling the problem of social care to the baleful rise of anti-semitism. But it was the thorny issue of expenses that provoked the most intense response. It is also the most frequent topic (although certainly not the only one) that emerges on doorsteps and in surveys. The change in personnel following the election will help but the problem is not, as still too many candidates seem to assume, going to end there. The deep suspicion of the political class remains palpable. This is going to take years, and much more than just a new expenses system, to fix.

* Memo to incoming government: It will be a massive improvement when fixed term parliaments remove this right.