No election yet

I fear that the Queen's ghillie will continue to delay the calling of an election following the results of ballots for the municipal authorities yesterday.

It is a severe humiliation for a progressive Minister that he should be rejected by the populace for not being progressive enough. Yet that is what has transpired - and it is a rejection of the socialist experiment rather than of progressive policies.

For in spite of my youthful loyalties, it peturbs me when the populace turns to the Conservative party; for in spite of its protestations this party will never deliver progress to the people. Indeed on the issue of the moment there is no evidence that the beating heart of Conservatism is anything but overjoyed that the poor have to pay more taxes.

Nevertheless it is a tribute to the democratic process when fiscal issues lie at the heart of the choices made by so many voters, by the people of England and Wales. For progress is delivered by the State behaving justly, not by the State overreaching its authority. Socialism creates an arrogance, a belief that the State can solve all problems and that the people must submit to its decisions, for good or ill. The present government may describe itself as "new" or even as "new old" - it is unclear exactly which - but it remains socialist at core and therefore prone to error.

As for the young Mr Clegg, he has survived his first test as leader and delivered modest advances for his party. There has been no calamity; although it is a matter of regret that the population did not give more credit to Mr Clegg and Mr Cable for delivering resistance to mistaken and regressive tax policies at the outset.

I am not acquainted with the present Monarch; but I am sure our dear Queen would have offered encouraging words to any youthful leader who bore such a great test with credit.