The new politics isn't blindly partisan. Have we really understood that?

I am, in political terms, a fairly gentle soul, as I may have noted before. I like to think generously of my opponents, as far as that is possible. It isn't always easy, but one should try. And perhaps I'm not the only person who should.

Now that we've got the hang of this 'being in government and acting responsibly' lark, perhaps we need to think about how we do politics as a party. As people who talk a good game of pluralism, we imply that collaborative, inclusive politics is a good thing. Which, of course, it is. However, we're not always good at dealing with the consequences of that stance.

It does mean that we have an obligation to listen to opposing views, to evaluate what they have to say, and to explain why we are going to do what we have agreed. After all, given the overlap between the manifestos of the various political parties, there are areas of agreements with all of them. Admittedly, you'd be amazed to find what some of them are, but they do exist. Oh yes, we may differ as to why, or how, or when, but in broad terms, that agreement is still there.

So, why do we have to talk as though politics is about us and them, about right and wrong, in the kind of black and white way that we spend so much time saying is exactly the wrong way to look at complex problems? Instead, for example, of simply exclaiming that Labour would have cut almost exactly as far and as fast, oh and, by the way, they smell, why not say that, given the state of the public finances, we would welcome any specific suggestions that they might have? If they have any good ideas, it is in the national interest to use them, giving credit accordingly. If they don't, and there are no signs yet of specifics, then it will become apparent pretty quickly. They may even up their game.

It isn't about being nice, it isn't about being wishy washy, it's about building a politics that allows people to work across party boundaries for the national or local interest. Because it's really hard to do so with people you've spent five years slagging off.

We have an opportunity to change the way politics is done in this country. Given that, as a Party that is a potential partner for either of the other major Parties, plus the Nationalists in Scotland and Wales, we could end up in government under a myriad of circumstances, developing better personal relationships might well make for better governance.

And to the public out there, they may not necessarily understand how important that is, but they will certainly appreciate the benefits.