Is it misleading to think of the government as shambolic – even comprehensively shambolic? It has made some bad mistakes, but politically it has been fairly stable, so far. The Conservatives have achieved most of what they wanted with the Lib Dems acting as cover – probably more than they would have managed as a minority government. The NHS legislation would never have survived had the Lib Dems not been in the government and decided to follow what they understood to be the conventions of coalition. Right-wing Tories chafe under its bonds but they have had little to complain about. Our absence from the Eurozone saved the government from the worst of the European financial crisis. The unemployment rate is still among the lowest in the OECD. And while it is obviously convenient, it is not unreasonable for the government to argue that the problems of the EU, our largest market, are largely beyond its control. It can also point out that however badly it is doing in the polls, the number of people who say they will vote Tory or Lib Dem still exceeds those who say they will vote Labour.

LRB 2 August 2012 | PDF Download