Clegg has been accused of petulance, immaturity and treachery over the last few days by many Tories. Hardly the best of breed in honesty or meeting obligations, either in manifestos or coalition agreements. Yet the baying voices from the Tory press have personalised Clegg's statements without analysing what forces and constraints within his party led him to this decision.
The rising bad blood between the coalition parties, well-reported and increasingly orchestrated from the Tory backbenches, reached a crescendo with the rejection of House of Lords reform. The Liberal Democratic attempt to gerrymander the constitution was rightly rejected; this, and the successful campaign against the AV referendum, led the minority party to reject the boundary changes.
Playing a weak hand badly is Clegg's metier. Yet, he needed to wield power before his party in order to demonstrate that he was exacting 'payment' from the Tories for their bad behaviour even at the expense of future negotiations or victory at the next general election. One has to ask what political party prefers a leader who courts electoral immolation just so they can feel good about denying their coalition partners a fundamental desire.
Clegg's act is one of weakness, not strength. His leadership days are numbered.