Letter: What's confusing Mr Kennedy?

SO POOR Charles Kennedy's "political compass currently feels confused" by the coalition – so he bravely abstained from his party's vote on it instead of voting against it (News, 16 May).

Can he not see that:

– if Gordon Brown had been serious about doing a Lib Dem deal, the last people he would have sent as negotiators were the unelected Lord Mandelson and Lord Adonis plus Alastair Campbell, two of them with a lifetime of spin and manipulation.

– if Labour had won outright or even with the Lib Dems, the real powers in the land would have been Jack Dromey (Harriet Harman's husband and now an MP) and Charlie Whelan, with their trade unions; hardly the "progressive alliance" or "realignment of the centre-left" he says he espouses.

– each of the UK nations including England now has a government broadly reflecting its votes, so the West Lothian question is almost answered, if only temporarily.

– no voter actually voted for any coalition, but as one is almost certain under his favoured PR system, does he claim the Lib Dems should only ever join a Labour-led coalition? Hardly democratic that.

– above all, this coalition gives the Lib Dems the chance to prove themselves in government (the one factor so far preventing their full acceptance by voters as a potential government) leading to a genuine realignment of the centre-left through their replacement of Labour, not merely as its junior partner.

Finally, journalists should define "progressive" when using it; after all, the Tories used to be called Progressives in Scottish local government (and maybe should have trademarked it!). The new government, especially if Frank Field is involved, appears to be much more "inclined to original thinking leading to genuine and continuing social reform" (a fair definition) than the previous one.

John Birkett, St Andrews