Conservatives sense Lib-Dem coalition jitters?
As the Conservatives gather in Birmingham for their annual conference, there's a question on their lips. It's being said in hushed tones.
"So just how political secure is the coalition. Are the Lib Dems really up for it?"
Defection can be corrosive. Take Robin Webber-Jones. He was the Lib Dem's parliamentary candidate for Charnwood in Leicestershire in May's general election. He's just defected to Labour, disillusioned at coalition spending cuts - some activists worry that's the issue that could bring the blue and yellow coalition crashing down.
One controversial Coalition decision is getting too hot to handle for some Lib Dems. The Trinity comprehensive in Nottingham was one of 700 schools in line for a massive make-over under Labour's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.
Approved and signed off just before the election, it was chopped by the Coalition. Parents like Mrs Emma Poxon are furious.
"We are upset and devastated because we were so far down the line of getting it approved. Nobody knows what's going to happen to this school now."
Trinity was built for 900 pupils and now has 1138 on its roll. It's a popular school but its Headteacher Mike McKeever says conditions are far from ideal.
"We've got very crowded classrooms on the lower school site and not enough specialist rooms. We needed to bring it all onto the one site and modernise our facilities."
In Nottingham, the issue has brought Lib Dems and Labour together. Gary Long, the leader of the Lib Dems on Nottingham City Council, is a Coalition loyalist but believes the government made the wrong decision.
"Obviously we don't like to challenge a government that includes Liberal Democrats. We all understand the importance of balancing the budget. It's not easy for us to stand up and say it's wrong... but in this case, it is very clear that there was written approval for this money and we don't think this money should be turned around."
In Derbyshire, there's further Coalition tension. Local Tories plan to cut £4m from its social care budget for the elderly. Lib Dems are alarmed.
"The very first cut the Tories are proposing is a cut in front line services by reducing the standard of care," Councillor Barry Taylor of the Lib Dems on Derbyshire County Council told me.
There may be tougher spending cuts to stomach. So have Derbyshire's Lib Dems really signed up to the Coalition?
"They are 100% signed up to the Coalition, but I wouldn't say they are 100% happy. I think there are a number of Conservative policies -independent free schools for one -which they have significant reservations about."It's not just Lib Dem uncertainties that may be shaking the coalition. Town Hall politics in Derby are no stranger to coalition deal making. The Tories now run the city with tactic support from the Lib Dems... but the BSF cuts have infuriated the city's senior Conservatives.
Cllr Evonne Williams, who's cabinet role includes education, hoped to rebuild 18 schools in Derby through BSF money.
"I was really distraught when the news came out. Yes, I think it could be a real problem for the Coalition. If they don't come forward with plans in the comprehensive spending review or the capital review programme to help these schools, it could be damaging for the Coalition."With Ed Miliband as its leader, a revived Labour Party may help glue the Coalition partners together of course. Many Lib Dems are worried about the spending cuts and a slump in their poll rating. If they get the political jitters, will the coalition be on shakey ground?
For David Cameron and the Tories in Birmingham, that may be a question they would prefer not to answer.
Hello. My name is John Hess. I'm the BBC's Political Editor for the East Midlands and this blog will offer my musings on the political scene from Westminster to closer to home. 
