Wright's Trident Vote

When we did the hustings at UEA, SImon Wright pushed heavily his opposition to Trident and - though I challenged him on that - he played to the gallery and said he wanted it gone. After the meeting, one student really pushed his anti-Trident stance to me (that's a nice way to say he had a right go at me) and accused me of pretty much everything under the sun. Now an email arrives from said student a month after the poll.

He writes that he voted for Mr Wright based upon that performance, but was concerned to note that when given the chance to vote against Trident, he chose instead to support the Conservative position of keeping it (Labour abstained). This student is furious and although I am glad Simon has seen sense and taken the Tory position on this, there is at least one voter in Norwich who will never vote LibDem again over the issue. The one thing that concerns me about coalition in general is that you have to make compromise in government which looks like betrayal of political principle to people.

Mr Wright is likely to have a similar problem with tuition fees. The Union of UEA Students - whose member openly brag about having been key in removing Clarke and electing Wright - are watching keenly.

I have to say that I doubt if Mr Wright can hold this together for 5 years, promising one thing in Norwich and doing another in Westminster.