Peter Riddell's piece today in the Times 'Tories still not won over by  liberal social attitudes', examines a recent Populus survey of 128 MPs (70 Lab, 30 Tory, 13 Lib Dem). The survey shows that Labour is surprisingly cohesive, whilst the Tories are split on social issues such gay rights, education and British ethnicity.

One key point is that, despite talk of a possible Lib Dem- Conservative coalition in a hung parliament, the Lib Dem responses were uniformly more in line with Labour than the (often diametrically opposed) Tories.

On the issue of gay rights, for example, 46% of Tories said that gay couples deserved the same rights as heterosexual couples, but 56% disagreed. However, the Lib Dems and Labour closely agreed on the subject, with support of 92% and 83% respectively.

More importantly on education thoughts seem equally split. Only 7% of Tory MPs agree that "it would be better..to send [privately educated children] to state schools instead" is a significant divergence from many Lib Dem MPs.  Immigration and ethnicity, where differences are equally sharp, is also certain to be a much more live issue over the next few years than the largely settled arena of gay rights.

Currently the Lib Dem and Conservative parties are finding significant common ground from which to attack Labour.  This poll suggests that this is based on little more than 'my enemy's enemy is my friend'. However, if election results were to put the Lib Dem's and Tories in a position to form a coalition, the differences in the parties, seen by some as slight, look set to reawaken.

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