News Insight: Art of compromise, Lib Dem-style

6 September 2010 2 mins read Neil Puffett Early Years Education Social Care Youth Justice Youth Work

As parliament reconvenes this week, Neil Puffett picks out some of the compromises the Liberal Democrats have made in their policies for children, young people and families since forming a coalition government with the Conservatives in May

NATIONAL CITIZEN SERVICE

On 8 April, four weeks before polling day, Danny Alexander, then party leader Nick Clegg's chief of staff, described the Conservatives' personal development programme for 16-year-olds as a "funding black hole".

"The Conservatives are living in cloud cuckoo land if they think they can provide a National Citizen Service on the cheap," he said. "Once again they have made an enormous spending commitment without the foggiest idea of how to pay for it." Six weeks later, the Lib Dems signed up to the scheme in the coalition agreement. Days after that, on 29 May, Alexander was appointed chief secretary to the Treasury after David Laws' resignation.

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