Spending cuts: what will Lib Dems tell their constituents?

I was on a train with Nick Clegg at the start of the election campaign in Sheffield and remember him proudly pointing out the window at Sheffield Forgemasters. It’s actually in a neighbouring constituency to his own but it’s a big part of the Sheffield employment landscape. With the pulling of the government’s loan to the company, announced by his own former Chief of Staff now Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander, Mr Clegg has seen the first sizable bit of coalition pain on his own doorstep.

In London yesterday I hear Liberal Democrat MPs had a meeting. It was quite a letting off of steam. MPs saying they didn’t come into politics to have to take all these lousy decisions, take all this flak. They’re quite a prolix bunch and I’m told it was all a bit “woe is us”.

There was no focal point, no mounting revolt against a particular cut or budget measure that may or may not be coming up, like VAT for instance… more a general malaise as politicians who are used to finding themselves feted when lobby groups come to Parliament, prepare to be disliked. “What am I going to tell my constituents?” was the general cry.

Nick Clegg is no doubt working out his own answer to that question right now. But his answer in general to Lib Dem MPs is: Lib Dems have been liked for years and it only gets you so far in political life. The party had a political deficit in respect. Getting stuck in to the difficult decisions ahead, it is hoped, will address that and get them respected.

There will be other Lib Dem MPs with local projects also hit as part of the £2b list of cuts announced today and they will be having to compose the first of what could be many constituency letters saying why they support the coalition cuts.

There are also, by the way, regular weekly meetings of the Liberal Democrat ministers in the government as well. The mood in these, I hear, is often one of concern or worry as well.