The good and the bad of being in a coalition

Blog overload for today, three in one day!  Two very important pieces of policy have been released today, one good, one bad.  I shall start with the good.

Trident will not be recommissioned until at least after the next general election.  This is a massive win for the Liberal Democrats.  I, like most Lib Dems, am massively anti nuclear.  I cannot see any British Prime Minister ever pressing the button so to speak and giving the order.  I am in general anti war (there are some that must be fought, but lots could be avoided) and more to the point I am one for practicing what we preach.  It is one thing to tell Iran that they can't have nuclear weapons whilst still aiming ours at them, it is another to take the lead and disarm our own (the review today says that we are getting rid of 25% of our warheads, which is a start).  I am more than happy for USA, Russia and China to be armed, however I don't feel that there is a need for a country like Britain to have nuclear weapons.  It was clear Tory policy to renew trident, as such I see this as a big victory just delaying the decision - it wont be done on our watch! 

Now for the bad - Council House.  I will admit that I haven't studied this change in detail, however the headline that I see is that the government are removing the right to remain in a property goes against the supposed policies of encouraging stable families and is likely to hit those who need it most hardest.  The main benefit of a council house is that you have security, you know for the future whatever happens you have affordable housing.  I don't come across this much in Bath to say the least, but I know of quite a few low income families up north who rely on their council house and without it would struggle to get by.  If the policy is one of compulsory moves then I think it is fundamentally wrong and should be looked at again.  Doing this would break up communities just as DC is trying to promote his big society.  If however circumstances have changed and you give the people the option to say buy, or rent at the market rate then that may be different.  (Though for those renting you still have the problem of when they retire!)

So in my opinion today has been good and bad!