Another Hutton? More

Michael Portillo on the BBC Programme This Week made the connection with Hutton, saying that the drop-it result of this Cash for Honours investigation is, again, too good for the government; he also made the point that there was a sufficient political scandal on its own, that people were recommended for peerages because they made secret loans to Labour. Indeed so. Andrew Neill had sufficient own resource as a presenter (and commentator) on the programme to show just how nervous the BBC is.

The programme did a cut-away to the count at Southall by-election where the Liberal Democrats are doing better than expected. I said it to my friends in the pub, and I'll say it here, the froth of the media and comment far too easily dismiss the Liberal Democrats. Ming Campbell may be seen as ineffective in presentation, and I too wonder about him, but some good highlighted policies at the next General Election and the Lib Dems will do better than poll ratings with a view that he is capable and honest - and, after all, the poll ratings are not that bad considering the criticism heaped his way and Gordon Brown having made a reasonably good start to his premiership.