Laboured delivery of a Con deal?

It took 5 full days to deliver it (not long by the standards of most European countries) but Britain finally has a new government.
Not many would have put money on this outcome just a week ago as we prepared to go to the polls. For the previous three weeks we had been treated to the sight of Cameron and Clegg knocking lumps out of each other in the Prime Ministerial debates on our television screens. Yet here they are shaking hands and back slapping like old buddies on the steps of No.10.
Nor is it unreasonable to ask how a 'progressive' party can find itself in partnership with one whose principles are declared openly in its name - Conservative. Surely there is too much which separates these two for this ever to be a workable solution to our political conundrums. What kind of compromises can there be over relation with Europe, our attitude to the nuclear deterrent, fairer taxes, electoral reform (especially of the voting system and the House of Lords)?
Certainly on the last of these vital matters it does look to many of us who have been Lib Dem voters for many years that the long-cherished hope of a radical realignment of British politics is now a forlorn one. We seem to have accepted a deal containing not even a promise of a referendum in order to be sat at the top table. One must wonder what will happen in 5 years' time, when the hard economic policies this coalition must adopt have run their course and people are feeling bruised, battered and in need of a change; when the tide of opinion turns against Cameron? Will the Liberal Democrats be tarred with the same brush?
Just now the talk is all of serving the nation and its best interest. That is all very fine and good and I sincerely hope that their best efforts do result in a lowering of our national debt and a full and strong economic recovery.
My fear is that the electorate will not be able to distinguish between Cons and LibDems in the future and that our role in whatever achievements there are will get forgotten - if all goes well, the Conservatives and Cameron will take the plaudits, if it goes belly up the LibDems will go down with the ship.
So, good luck Nick. You didn't really have any kind of a choice but this one in the end, and you're going to need all the luck you can get. I wish you well.