Teaming up with Nigel Farage would trash the Conservative brand | Kate Maltby

Any Tories contemplating such an alliance should remember – once poisoned, parties are almost impossible to detoxify

Remember Cleggmania? When the Liberal Democrats look back on the election campaign of 2010, when their poll ratings hit the 30% mark, it must seem like a heady dream. Their final vote share wasn’t as high as some had hoped, but it was enough to bring Nick Clegg’s party into a coalition government and into power for the first time. Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.

We all know what happened next, and why. The Lib Dems experienced electoral wipeout in 2015 as a result of allying themselves with a political party that their core voters found toxic.

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from The Guardian http://bit.ly/2YtoMLs