IT has often been the case that collaborators embrace the cause of their new allies and former foes with even greater fervour.

Such is the case with the Liberal Democrat members of the coalition Government and particularly the Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.

His self-satisfied grin and arrogant manner give the lie to his explanation that he is simply doing what is required to form a stable government and tackle the national economic crisis.

He’s enjoying sticking it to the plebs and when the history of this Government is assessed his name will be forever associated with politics of the most treacherous kind.

It is one thing to compromise on certain issues, but quite another to support and justify policy that you had diametrically opposed only a matter of weeks previously.

The General Election can now be seen to have been a monstrous confidence trick as the Government enacts policy for which it has no mandate.

When the full effect of these financial cuts begins to bite my prediction is that the voters, when given the chance, will eject Mr Clegg and his coterie of “collaborators” from Parliament, but my further prediction is that they are already promised an ermine retirement.

VJ Connor, Bishop Auckland.

THE greatest act of treachery by Nick Clegg and his Liberal Democrat gang of power thieves is their reneging on a pledge to oppose an increase in student fees – and then doubling them.

But what exposes their hypocrisy are the three reasons they offer for this U-turn.

First: they had not realised the extent of government borrowing, so were forced to hit the students. To believe that you would have to imagine Mr Clegg does not read newspapers.

Second: Mr Clegg had the policy forced upon him by the Lib Dem conference and he never really believed that it was a runner. So now we have to accept that every Lib Dem candidate peddled a policy they did not believe in. Such integrity.

Third: they had to ditch their pledge because of the Tories. So at the next General Election, as we read their pledges, the first question to ask Mr Clegg is which policies he will ditch when offered his ministerial car?

Having now seen coalition government, whereas previously I might have voted for some move to PR, not now. At least we know what to expect from the Tories – there can be no complaint if they gain power outright. But to see their “smash the poor policies” come in through the Lib-Dem backdoor is totally unacceptable.

Robert Meggs, Hartlepool.