It's us or the Tories the Lib Dems might shout but they agree more than they'd like you to know

The starting gun for the election has well and truly started. Leaflets and press releases are hitting door mats and inboxes everywhere. Many of us wondered how the Lib Dems would fight this election, nearly 5 years in propping up the Tories, what would be left for them to crow about? This riddle is solved, with no hint of irony or is it self awareness? they squawk: it's us or them, no one can stop the Tories but us. The attacks on Mebyon Kernow have already started. But what's the truth of the matter? is there a choice between Liberal Democrat and Conservative? let's have a look at their voting records...

Firstly I have to draw attention to an attack by Dan Rogerson on the MK candidate in North Cornwall Orlando Kimber. Before the news of his candidacy had even hit the papers the usually shy and quiet Dan was on the warpath. The title of his missive doesn't mess about: Mebyon Kernow votes risk losing local champion. It continues: “Voting for Mebyon Kernow will only help the Conservatives to win here and will damage the campaign for a fair deal for Cornwall.” After these long years of government we might ask what the 'campaign' for a fair deal is. Is it the hundreds of millions cut in Cornwall's funding, or the Devonwall constituency, or pasty tax or even the unnecessary delay the government caused in Cornwall's European funding. Perhaps the fact Cornwall's economy has declined under the rule of the Lib Dems? Dear reader what do you consider fair and unfair? Or what constitutes a campaign?

The Lib Dems empty rhetoric aside, let's actually look at the records. Lets consider how Cornwall's MPs vote and what differences there are between LD and Tory. The handy site Public Whip has a section on rebellions and loyalty. From the election literature and press releases We may expect a great disparity between government policy and how our MPs vote, that there's a vast gulf of difference between Lib Dem and Tory but the reality is a lot different. This is how many times our MPs vote with the government, I've added in Nick Clegg and David Cameron for reference, somehow the Lib Dem leader and deputy prime minister agrees more with government policy than the prime minister! Readers when reading the below statistics might like to ponder why the Lib Dems have not ruled out another coalition with the Tories...

http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mps.php?sort=rebellions

As a reference the North Cornwall MK candidate put on his blog today on how may times our MPs rebel, despite Dan's rhetoric he has only rebelled once in the last 2 years. It's worth telling people fooled by the con trick of it's Tory versus Lib Dem that actually the reality is there isn't a lot of difference. People should bear in mind that elections are about choice the actual gap between Lib Dem and Tory is very sleight to say the least. If people really want to vote for an alternative to the Tories than vote for Mebyon Kernow.