Will the Lib Dems do what Gordon has told them ?

By saying there would be no election in 2008 Gordon Brown was telling the Lib Dems to replace Ming Campbell.

He used the threat of an election to try to destabilise the Conservatives and now he's using the election date to undermine the Lib Dems leader.

Why does Gordon want his old friend Ming out ? He needs the Lib Dems as his agrarian party in the South of England, to support his Celtic Socialist Labour party else where.

But again perhaps Gordon should be careful what he wishes for.

Nick Clegg is the most likely winner ( unless the Lib Dems fancy suicide with Chris Hulme - and don't let me stop them ).

Indeed, if you get rid of all the false party bravado that you can here when you suggest this, Nick Clegg would make a reasonable Conservative MP.

The problem for the Lib Dems is not their leadership - though its does suck right now - but what is the point of the party. Its an alliance of the Social Democrats ( Chat show Charlie etc ) and the Liberals (who really should have been with Mrs T, but botched the moment). They have different instincts. In short David Owen was right - they should have stayed at 2 parties. Instead they are a confusing bunch of hobbyists with no clear underpinning of principle.

Perhaps the Lib Dems should really consider winding up their party - after all what's the point of the Lib Dems ?

Update: Rumours of Ming falling on his sword on the BBC a few mins ago. Perhaps he's going to do a Charlie instead, but I doubt it. The Lib Dems have left him in little doubt where they stand. Surely he's toast now - and Gordon Brown has done the toasting ....

Ming is rattled

He's not doing to well on The Politics Show just now. His tie tells it all - the blue is their as he now fears the Conservatives.

The problem is the Lib Dems have no consistent underpinning and now that the Conservatives are campaigning effectively against them, by taking on the environment, they have no foundations to stand on. ( Except be opposed to anything and everything they think may win them votes - even if they were responsible for the original policy. )

I wonder if Ming might resign as well as Blair after May 3rd if things go as badly as the Lib Dems are now spinning ( of course its the old game of reducing expectations - but the Lib Dem spin machine is placing the bar very low this year ! )?

Update: Iain Dale makes a good point about the limpet tactics of Lib Dems. He's right of course in the observation. But I think we need to explain to people who and what the Lib Dems really are. Just playing with the kids of the electorate or being a social worker should not entitle you to run the government. If that were to be the case then effective democracy will have ended in Britain.

Also see the comments of what I assume to be a Labour supporter on the Surrey Lib Dems here.

Tony Sharp (The Waendel Journal) has another take asking why the BBC were so soft on Ming ? He has a good point relating to his neck of the woods ( wrt the Lib Dem lie about being the only national party )-

"He said that his party is the 'National party of opposition'. Well that is only true if you believe the definition of a national party is one that in an English shire county fields only 66 candidates with 270 seats up for grabs - and 47 of those candidates are standing in just one town."

The LibLab pact is back on - Ming's running short of time

Sir Ming looks like he prefers his old Scottish chum Gordon Brown to the English David Cameron. They know each other very well, and the Lib Dems have - up until David Cameron came along to give them a hug - always been happiest attacking the Conservatives.

So vote Lib Dem get the Clunking Fist Gordon Brown.

We'll see how popular that is in the country .....

(Maybe Ming is try to get Gordon Brown to go for a early election, by reassuring him his 'legacy' as PM will be assured ?)

Looks like its going the be the Scottish political establishment against the English rest of us and the next election.