> [WS:] A more interesting question, imho, is whether this coalition will
> bring electoral reform, as lib-dems hoped.
They've agreed only to a *referendum* on electoral reform.
I understand too that the proposal is for an Alternative Vote system, which doesn't amount to genuine proportional representation. According to this page:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8644480.stm
if the 2010 elections had been carried out under AV, the results wouldn't have been too different to they are now - the Tories and Lib Dems swapping a couple dozen seats and almost no change for Labour or the smaller parties. The Tories and Labours would lose big under real PR, at the Lib Dems and smaller parties' expense. So even if the referendum succeeds - and we all know how easily those are manipulated - it seems unlikely to amount to genuine reform.
I stand to be proven wrong but I think the Lib Dems might have really dropped the ball on this one.