You have to smile at the LibDems affectation of referring to their 'Shadow Cabinet' and to their spokesmen as 'Shadow' ministers. The little dears; if it makes them feel a bit more worthwhile, who are we to point out that the only certainty about the next election is that there will be no more than 25 LibDems MPs.

What a rabble. Any organisation which considers that two of its most able members, who have been brought back into its Shadow Cabinet because of their much-missed insight into affairs of state, are Lembit Opik and Norman Baker, deserves the scorn which the LibDems receive.

(BTW, I've just seen this on Lynne Featherstone's blog:[T]he quality of Chris’s campaign means that Nick’s victory over that reflects well on Nick. That has to be just about the worst piece of spin I have ever come across. The supposed dead-certainty humiliatingly scrapes home by one of the narrowest conceivable margins, any authority from a leadership bounce destoyed before it's even happened, and we are supposed to believe that it's good news. Bring on the white coats for the latest, yes, you guessed it, recruit to the Lib Dem Shadow Cabinet.)