How’s about this for a bit of perspective? Ian Hislop asks the audience on Have I Got News For You who’s read “The Agreement” and asks for a show of hands of those who think it sounds pretty good. “Just me then?” he says, embarrassed. Oh dear, thinks I.

The Coalition’s biggest challenge is going to be finding something for the casual observers to like about this new administration. Civil Liberties, dealing with the deficit and forming a stable majority Government isn’t quite doing the trick. It matters because elections are won or lost based on what these casual observers reckon, not the opinions of the well informed and up to date. Electioneering is a numbers game, and there’s more casual observers than politics dorks.

It’s probably quite safe for Opposition politicians to tell people, for example, that “The Agreement” is almost entirely Tory policy and that the only concession the Lib Dems have won is referendum on electoral reform that they’re probably going to lose anyway. If that’s what the majority end up “reckoning” they can’t be lambasted them for their ignorance. Politicians have to respect their opinion, even when the issue at stake isn’t a matter of opinion at all.

It’d be a mistake to believe that because this Coalition has managed to slip through some good stuff reversing much of the Authoritarianism of the previous Government that this means we’ve “won”. No-one really voted for it. It’s happening because the two Parties have the opportunity, means and desire to do it – and helpfully can blame each other for it when the Daily Mail starts their hysterical screaming about “political correctness gone mad!”

Civil Liberties barely came up during the Election campaigning. The appetite for controls on “everyone else” for the sake of a modicum of additional safety hasn’t gone away. Both Nick Clegg and David Cameron are populists, not ideologues – but their version of populism seems to have a much more adult, cool tempered flavour for now – and that’s to be welcomed. The test will be how long it lasts and whether or not they can find a ‘new politics’ solution rather than following their predecessors into reactionary control freakism.

So, the good and the bad. I did promise, didn’t I? Well the section on Civil Liberties is better than any of us dared hope, thanks to the addition of a Freedom Bill/Great Repeal Bill which could cover anything not already cover. The list of things we know for a fact we’re getting includes:

ID Cards, Identity Register, Child Register and Next-Gen biometric passports? GONE

No Fingerprinting of Children without parental consent. SORTED

Extension of Freedom of Information Act. GOOD

A switch to Scottish model of DNA retention. AT LAST

Protection of right to trial by jury and right to non-violent protest. AWESOME

Reform of the libel laws to protect freedom of speech. SUPERB

And more. Seriously, there’s MORE. And this doesn’t include what might end up in the Great Repeal/Freedom Bill (HINT: Digital Economy Act three strikes, site blocking).

This is extremely promising and marks the first time our Government has done anything that I’ve gone, “Wow! Cool!” at for… well.. over ten years, I guess. I’m genuinely surprised and amazed and hope that this shows a willingness to be bold in this area.

The bad for me is the section on the ‘Green’ economy stuff, which represents quite an ambitious program of economic planning (irrespective of the perceived need to do so.) Will be interested to see if this gets the same focus and attention.

Back to good we have the end of child detention in immigration centres. On the bad side we appear to have merged the Lib Dem and the Tory policy on dealing with illegal immigrants. If you’ll recall, the Lib Dems intended to find some of the illegal immigrants and give them an amnesty to stay. The Tories wanted to deport them but can’t actually find them. The new policy is find them and deport them. Compromise, eh? Wonderful.

More on this as it sinks in and the actual behaviour of the Government becomes apparent… but put it this way: I’m a bit worried about the odds of getting pieces onto Liberal Central at the Guardian if the Coalition carries on like this. My career as a semi-professional writer may be killed off before it’s started.

Damn.

Leaked by Liberal Conspiracy. Looks pretty real. It’s big, so I’ve hidden it with SpoilerVision™

Yes please, show me the leaked agreement. I’m genuinely interested.

UPDATE: Turns out it was real after all. Now available on the Lib Dem website For Reals, Yo! THE AGREEMENT!