Disgruntled Lib Dem Supporters

It seems that Liberal Democrats are finding out the downside to power, and don't like it one bit:

Nick Clegg is suffering a fierce public backlash over the coalition's VAT rise, with almost half of Liberal Democrat supporters saying the tax U-turn makes them more likely to desert the party.

A YouGov/Brand Democracy survey, which will alarm already restive Lib Dem MPs, shows 48% of those who voted Lib Dem at the election are now less inclined to back them again as a direct result of the increase in VAT from 17.5% to 20%.

Well, I voted Lib Dem at the last election (lack of a Libertarian candidate y'see) and I'm not a big fan of the VAT rise. I understand the logic behind it, and I can understand why they did it - had I been in a similar position, though, I'd have favoured spending cuts every time over tax rises. I can also understand how some Lib Dem voters might feel betrayed - Clegg and Co were very adamant on where they stood on a VAT rise, but in power they have done the exact opposite of what they campaigned for. Yet for any seasoned political observer, a newly empowered politician u-turning is the very definition of plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

As for disgruntled Liberal Democrat voters, well, there is no real point in changing their support to one of the other main parties. After all, the Tories are the dominant power in the coalition that introduced the VAT increase, while the Labour party are the people who made the VAT increase and all the spending cuts pretty much inevitable with their idiotic, spendaholic policies. So the choice is either for Lib Dem voters to stay put, or look to one of the minor parties for a better deal. And if there are Lib Dem voters looking for a party committed to lower taxes and greater freedom within this country, then there is one obvious smaller party that they could transfer their allegiance to...