ming campbell

Literally hours after I poured scorn on the "up for discussion" comment about Ming Campbell's leadership he has gone with immediate effect.

Nick Clegg was the will he wont he run candidate last time, and he kept his powder dry. This will surely not be the case this time.

A few years ago at Lib Dem Conference I was regailed by a senior Lib Dem MP who effectively said that the Orange Bookers would take control over the party (signifying a shift to the right) over his dead body.

If so there could be a battle royale between the left and right in the Lib Dems to take control of the heart and soul of the party.

The Lib Dems have always been able to appeal to disaffected Labour voters by advocating left wing policies in one area, and by advocating moderate right policies in other areas they have appealed to to disaffected Tories. One wonders if the poll gains in recent weeks by the Tories will convince them to go for an Orange Booker.

Iain Dale thinks Kennedy is a good bet,  but surely Clegg will have the guts to throw his hat into the ring.

Wouldn't that make Gordon Brown the old man of British politics!

It seems like the clock is fast approaching midnight on Ming's leadership of the Lib Dems. Of course he will be leading the party into the next election and beyond. Yes of course he will....

Things are not looking good for Ming Campbell or the Lib Dems.

Ben Brogan has pointed out that on Electoral Calculus using recent polling, the Lib Dems would end up with a total of zero seats, and now a Populus poll for the Times is indicating that they have dropped 3 point to only 12%.

Ming has consistently stated that he will lead the party into the next election, which certainly looked likely with the possibility of a snap election. Now Brown has ruled that out, and suggested that an election isnt likely in 2008, the Lib Dems surely must be having a sertious look at not if Ming will be challenged, but when.

It seems as though some opinion polls issued tonight are showing the Tories regaining some of the ground that Labour gained during and after their party Conference. The 11 point lead (which to me always looked really unlikely) has now apparently shrunk to only a 3 or 4 point Labour lead.

Is that enough for Gordon Brown to go to the polls? I still think he might. What is more important is what is being revealed in the prviate polling that will be being conducted in the marginal seats.

If Brown thinks he can retain his marginals I think he will go for it.

Some people will say the polls are great news for the party - but we really shouldn't be happy with being behind in the polls. However it is the Lib Dems who should really be asking questions, not only of their current strategy, but questions of leadership. Ming Campbell says he will take the Lib Dems into an election and beyond. He may take them into an election - but even then, the only way I can see that happening is if it is called in the next few days. If Brown plays the long game Nick Clegg surely must be now contemplating a leadership challenge.

Across the country we all know that is some places the Lib Dems like to portray themselves as a left wing alternative to Labour, and in a neighbouring seat as a moderate alternative to the Conservatives. To those of us who have been concerned about immigration and its effects on the UK, perhaps here is a reason why you should never vote Lib Dem.

The key word is not immigration in this story but ILLEGAL! My father emigrated. He did it legally. he jumped through many loopholes to do so. He didn't just turn up in a country, work, take advantage of everything they had to offer in the hope that at some point he would be offered an amnesty. Are the Lib Dems really saying that some illegal immigration is justified? It certainly looks like it!

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Gordon Brown had his second outing as PM at PMQs today. To listen to the half hour exhange click the link below. Was it a points win for Cameron - or did Brown use his clunking fist to delivery a knock our blow?

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