The blog
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Answering the question
Last night Ming Campbell was on Question Time, a programme that generally drives me barmy because I find myself wanting to hurl abuse (and chairs) at the screen. The panel bore distinct evidence of a sudden change in priorities by the programme-makers. Salma Yaqoob of Respect was joined by a silver-haired ex-diplomat from the dubiously…
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That's my girlfriend, that is
Is there no end to her talents? Ten Top Trivia Tips about Astrofiammante! When astrofiammante is swallowed, she will enter the blood stream within twenty minutes! Astrofiammante once lost a Dolly Parton lookalike contest. The original nineteenth-century Coca-Cola formula contained astrofiammante. The first domain name ever registered was astrofiammante.com. Birds do not sleep in astrofiammante,…
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Alas, poor Mark
So Mark Oaten has departed from the Lib Dem leadership race, his campaign having been met with a certain amount of derision and rather a lot of underwhelmed silence. While some people clearly have a lot of faith in him and others were out to get him from the start, most gave him a fair…
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Meeting the Challenge II
Here's the second post on Saturday's Meeting the Challenge conference – this one's on the leadership candidates' speeches. There were all four very different. Ming gave a leader's speech, not a candidate's speech. It was thin on detail but heavy on gravitas. He was visibly distracted by the way his microphone kept randomly failing, but…
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Meeting the challenge I
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Grey today, gold tomorrow
I'm working from home today – a real delight after a pretty grim journey on the Tube yesterday. But I can't believe how cold and gloomy it is. Midday and I've got the light on, even though I'm next to a window, and a fan heater blowing. Tomorrow should be interesting – we're going to…
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Strange days
Ah, bugger it. I think it was clear that CK was doomed from about the middle of Friday – by the end, even some genuine friends and allies had come to the conclusion that the only possible outcome was his resignation. And, of course, if a resignation can't be avoided then it's far, far better…
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Nailing my colours to the mast
“Winning here!”A washed-up hack with only a short time left in his political career poses for a campaign photo with Charles Kennedy. That photo of me and the boss taken during the 2001 general election, when we both had fewer chins, should illustrate where I stand in the madness that's currently gripping a miniscule proportion…
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From the passenger seat
Something you don't see every day: a London Underground District Line train being driven round the M25 this morning on the back of a lorry. If this is the Greater London Authority's latest attempt to get people to commute using public transport, all I can say is they seem to have missed the point somewhat.…