DAVID WITH A LEVER:

The Not-So-Odd Couple: It seems like the right-leaning David Cameron would make an awkward coalition partner for the left-leaning Nick Clegg. Actually, they'll get along famously. (William Underhill, 5/12/10, Newsweek)

[C]onservatives have given ground on electoral reform (they will accede to a referendum), agreed to lower rates for the poor, and postponed proposals to cut an inheritance tax for the rich. To share the spoils of victory, five Liberal Democrats will be joining the cabinet.

And on Europe—the most contentious issue for these two parties—there's less daylight between the two than there once was. The Lib Dems had wanted to Britain to join the euro, but that's out of the question after the Greek fiasco undermined the credibility of a common currency. And the Conservatives had wanted a referendum on any future surrender of power to the European Union, but with the Lisbon Treaty (which sets formal limits on the power of Brussels) already ratified in the U.K., the debate on national sovereignty is effectively over. At any rate, the polls indicate that integration with Europe—either for or against—is low on the public's worry list.

In the end, though, Cameron's probably not even sorry to be pulled leftward by Clegg. The need for coalition makes a handy excuse to push through the kind of radical changes that he'd like to see, but which his party hardliners would have stopped, as a "progressive conservative" with the outlook of a social liberal. And now it will be tough for the right-wingers to complain: breaking up the coalition might mean a return to the opposition benches, where they just spent 13 years. Partnerships work best where there's mutual advantage. This one might just flourish.