Them's the brakes

Despite having being an Liberal Democrat voter in the past, I couldn't help but feel a bit of Schadenfreude at the party's horrific showing in the election. That, I thought, will serve you right for jumping into bed with the Tories just to be able to have the illusion of being in power. But left-leaning members of the electorate like myself may have done them a serious disservice - while they may not have actively pushed through worthy legislation, they did - it seems - perform a valuable role in putting the brakes on some (if not all) of the Tories' more right-wing proposals.

Now, without anything holding them back and buoyed by the unexpected election success, Cameron's mob are likely to lurch to the right - kicking off by attempting to consign the Human Rights Act to the dustbin. If that concerns you (and it should), then there's a petition to sign that calls for a referendum rather than unilateral action by the government. Appealing for clemency from Michael Gove, in his new guise as Justice Secretary, might seem somewhat futile, but any means of putting the pressure on should nevertheless be seized.

(Thanks to Tom for the petition link.)