The ConDem Coalition and LibDem Discipline

When history looks back at the coverage of last night's deal struck by the Conservatives and LibDems to form a full coalition government, it will note (on Twitter at least) that almost as many people were annoyed by the cancellation of Eastenders as those who were appalled to see the Tories back in power.

As we wait for the full details of the ConDem arrangement to be made clear, I noted previously that Clegg has more to lose in keeping his left flank exposed than appeasing the tiny minority in his party who see themselves on the right. Already this has made itself felt in a small way when Labour's membership application page crashed last night - there were probably more than a few ex-LibDems among the 3,000 who joined.

But the immediate worry from the Tory and LibDem leaderships' point of view was making sure the 57 LibDem MPs tow the line in the long term. With many MPs less than comfortable with the Tories and/or have Labour breathing down their necks in a marginal. With 363 seats and an effective 80-strong majority the coalition has a degree of vulnerability to LibDem disobedience.

So this piece on the BBC caught my eye. In addition to admitting five LibDems into the cabinet (Clegg as Deputy PM, St. Vince as Business and Banking, Chris Huhne for Energy and Climate, Danny Alexander for Scotland (a particularly smart move for Cameron), and David Laws (probably Education)), some 20 other LibDems are expected to land ministerial posts.

This means the LibDems provide at least 25 parliamentary votes the coalition can expect to rely on, and therefore secure its absolute majority to carry through the legislative programme.