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I dont’ think there was a clear winner this week. Once again, the sheer fact that Chris Huhne was able to perform on an equal footing with two others who have been MPs much longer demonstrates that time spent in the Commons isn’t everything. Campbell and Huhne were well matched, with Hughes further behind. Campbell benefited [...]

Just watching some of This Week in the gap between Question Time and News 24 reporting from Dunfermline, and is anyone else reminded of a certain Private Eye picture while waching Andrew Neil talk to Saira Khan?

I’m not liveblogging it this time but Will is. Simon isn’t, technically.

I might as well take advantage of the newly-acquired interweb technology. Question Time liveblogging - latest entry at the bottom. First question: If Charles Kennedy was standing, would he win? Campbell: He would do very well. It was right he stepped aside. Praises Kennedy’s dignity and courage and emphasises that it was CK’s own decision to stand [...]

On Tuesday evening the Executive Committee at Kingston agreed to two important strategies. The first was about consultation. At present there is no co-ordination of consultations across the Council so people can get a bit irritated if they are consulted too frequently. The new system will use a diary to avoid this. But the bulk of the strategy was in the form of guidelines....

Huhne is marginally ahead in my book but only based on 3 wonderful posts on Alex Wilcocks blog (see link). If I had to make my decision on this basis then I would probably plump for Huhne but still worried about his majority and the chances that the tories will throw the kitchen sink at Eastleigh However I am not making my mind up on this basis so I am off to watch Question Time in a minute and then I will go to the Hustings in Slough on Saturday

Reflecting Britain is launching a new challenge. With all three Lib Dem leadership contenders now signed up to the campaign, we are switching our focus to finding new talent within the party. We are asking party members to encourage their own “diamonds” to put their names forward as Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (”PPCs”). This [...]

Despite initial scepticism, recent events have made Alan Beddow decide to support Reflecting Britain: As Liberal Democrats we exist to promote equality and tolerance, one way in which we can do this is by increasing our representatives in government to use the democratic process to ensure these freedom’s are maintained. Another way is by example, [...]

Note to self: if driving to Scotland again, do so in daylight for spectular countryside most of the way.  Almost 7 hours to drive home.  Somehow, despite leaving Scotland (north of Nottingham) GPS managed to route me so that I arrived in Nottingham from the South.  Cumbria is full of speedcameras.  One on every bridge, [...]

This time last month, I was without a TV and a fridge. Now I have a new TV, a new fridge, and, as of today and after a bit of hassle, broadband. I feel almost modern. The advent of high-speed internet access may mean a bit more blogging too. Tags: broadband

The Lib Dem shadow chancellor has a thoughtful article in today's Guardian: It is a long way from the champagne bars of Notting Hill to the bowling clubs of Frinton-on-Sea. By pitching strongly for the first constituency, Cameron may be seriously alienating the second.

Overnight another YouGov poll appeared. This one put Chris Huhne in first place, with Ming Campbell second and Simon Hughes third. The result is that Huhne is now the bookies' favourite.

by Peter Reading Alex Wilcock's pieces on the candidates has been educational. These thoughts caught my eye: Ming, at his best, has statesmanlike gravitas. Simon, at his best, can be passionate, or friendly and at ease. Chris, at his best, is… succinct. Unfortunately, he writes much better than his spoken delivery, and the election will be settled on television rather than through pamphleteering. Who is he going to appeal to? Yes, he can seem solid and serious, but does anyone really think he’ll come across as more solid and more serious than Gordon Brown? He really needs to work ...

Alex Wilcock has given me a new tagline: “crass, boorish and more a bruiser than blogger.” Moi? I’m a pussycat! Still, I should use this opportunity to plug his three excellent articles on the leadership contenders: Let Ming Be Ming, Simon: Think Before You Open Your Mouth and Chris: Fill in the Person, Not [...]

by Peter He is not everyone's fave, but I like Paddy. From my first Young Liberal's conference (Weymouth - 1981) I have two clear memories. One is of a stout young man from Liverpool who was very interested in campaigning. (Chris something, don't know where he's got to...) The other was the young Ed Lucas - now a journalist for a well known weekly publication. Ed spent his time "Paddy Ashdowning" - telling people how the fantastic PPC was a future Party leader. I met Paddy a few months later at the Llandudno - where he made the anti-Cruise missile ...

Chris Huhne for Leader? He appears to have the big mo, and creating momentum out of nowhere is a very useful trick for a third party, as is forcing the other two to fight on his territory. He’s very bright, writes very persuasively, and was effective in reaching a policy consensus on public services without making it simply bland. I agree with much of his policy ‘vision’, and he seems the most capable of giving a succinct and effective answer. He’s also putting across an impressive set of non-Westminster experience. So what’s my problem with him? ‘Dull’, in a very ...

The big day of the On the House tv interview. Serious preparation needed. Most important thing to get right - appearance!!!!!!!!! Topping the list of appearance concerns is hair. Never go on tv like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards! Solution: wash and blow dry and then dump load of hair gel on head and leave to set hard. (I cracked my head on a shelf in the office before heading off to Tyne Tees TV and nearly shattered my hair!) Next appearance issue: get the tie right. The blue one, which strangely went with my blue shirt. Then ...

by Peter Poll number one is one down from this. Apollo Project members have voted by a margin of one in favour of Chris Huhne (at latest count - when I looked this morning it was still a tie). Caveats of course are that we are a self-selecting, internet-based, group, all activists. Almost all the others seem to be Oxbridge with multiple degrees (Exeter and just a BA here). I can't think of anyone who hasn't got a degree. And our only parliamentarian has not voted nor declared for any candidate yet (last I heard he was choosing between Simon ...

Have completed 6hrs of meetings at work today (not council ones either). Fortunately I haven't got any council meetings this evening or else I'd probably go stir crazy.It was mostly madness as I came out of them with more work, but with a backlog because of holding the meetings...

I'm not sure whether it was because David Laws was being interviewed alongside Frank Field on Today this morning (on the appalling performance of the CSA), but I counted him using "quite frankly" and "frankly" at least 4 times. Although he wasn't necessarily being frank.

I’ve been asleep all day, so I was more than a little surprised to wake up to learn that the YouGov Mk 2 poll had been published with Huhne in front. Let’s not get too carried away here. The margin of error here is at least 5%. My instincts tell me that right at [...]

The House of Keys, part of the Parliament of the Isle of Man, voted last night to lower the voting age to 16 for all elections there.

The lack of e-campaigning from the Hughes and Huhne campaigns has puzzled me. I registered with all three campaigns in their different ways in the hope that I would get to see what each candidate had to say and make my mind up accordingly. So far I have had 11 electronic contacts from the Campbell campaign, 3 from Hughes and 3 from Huhne. In addition to this I have had 3 printed communications from Huhne, 2 from Campbell and 1 from Hughes plus the booklet with my ballot paper. Now lack of printed communications I can ...

One of the features of the new chamber is the vast array of new technology at our disposal. Every seat has the usual electronic voting buttons and access to simultaneous translation. We also have a computer with full access to our e-mail and the internet. Unfortunately, the internet has not been working properly this week and so it has been off-line. Naturally, we are all getting used to this new equipment, whilst at the same time finding our way around. The first member who fell victim to the unfamiliarity of new surroundings however, was North Wales Tory, Brynle Williams. ...

Two biggies today! Dunfermline by-election and the Lib Dem leadership Question Time. But work comes first - and I have had, unexpectedly, to go into Parliament to respond on behalf of the Lib Dems to Charles Clark statement on their new national offenders strategy. So - my first statement! On route in, get call to say YouGov poll puts Chris Huhne in the lead. Can't read too much into polls -

It seems that Ann Summers has also fallen foul of the Muslim community. Today's Independent reports that the latest public figure to stand accused of defiling the Prophet Mohamed is not some Danish cartoonist, or French newspaper editor, but a hapless British Page 3 girl called Emma B: Yesterday, the erotic retailer Ann Summers unveiled Miss B as the "face" of its new range of products. Not 24 hours later, she finds herself on the front line of Islamic protest after Muslim leaders discovered that the range includes a new blow-up doll, called "Mustafa Shag". ...

There can be no denying the significance of the YouGov poll published today giving Chris Huhne a four point lead (albeit from a smallish sample). YouGov have achieved excellent results with their cheekily simple method of polling via an internet panel. Their predictions on the Tory leader race turned out to be very accurate indeed. This poll marks a watershed. Huhne has been transformed from a candidate who many members favoured, but perhaps doubted whether he could beat the mighty Ming, into someone who really looks like a winner. I am minded here of the old Guardian poll which showed ...

Simon Hughes for Leader? He’s got the most Parliamentary experience, he’s fluent and passionate, and he seems to have unbounded energy. He’s probably the best constituency MP in Britain. At his best, he’s the only candidate whose speeches have previously inspired me with his vision, and his credibility on the environment (perhaps the most important issue for us to make our own) is unrivalled. He’s committed to bringing in people who haven’t previously supported us. He’s the candidate I’ve seen most of over the years, and, personally, I like him. So what’s my problem with him? ‘Judgement’, in a word. ...

Nuclear Fuels Q: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what nuclear fuels have been consumed in the UK in each of the last three years; and how many tonnes of each type of fuel were consumed in each of those years. (John Hemming) A:British Nuclear Fuel and British Energy have informed me that their generating reactors have used the following volumes of Uranium over the last

Alex Wilcock has the first of three posts on the candidates for the Liberal Democrat leadership up. As he’s going in alphabetical order, it’s Ming Campbell first, and while it makes for good reading for Huhne and Hughes supporters, there is a lingering worry about what he might be saying about them, and whether it [...]

The Government have suddenly announced that they intend reducing the planned budget for PCTs in Birmingham and Solihull by £18,931,000 in 2006/7, £28,395,000 in 2007/8 and £37,862,000. This has been announced internally at the last minute and will result in a lengthening of waiting times for Medical Treatment in Birmingham. I raised the issue calling for an extended debate on this as distinct to the issue of dental treatment at Business Questions today. There will be a health service debate next week at which I will try to raise these issues which are national issues that hit hard in ...

by Oxonian You could be forgiven for thinking, on occasion, that the Apollo Project is firmly behind Ming for leader. In fact the voting intentions of this small sub-set of the Lib Dem online fraternity are a lot more interesting than that. Since various polls of membership are stirring up all sorts of controversy at the moment at politicalbetting.com, and small sample sizes don't seem to be a hindrance, here's the votes of the Apollo jury: First prefs:Chris Huhne - 12Ming Campbell - 10Simon Hughes - 1Undecided - 2 Reallocating Simon leaves Chris Huhne as the winner, by the narrowest ...

Last night the BBC was reporting government plans to scrap the the local government elections in 2007, pending another round of local government reorganisation. This would cover elections for pretty much every shire district in England. The idea is that the government's white paper, due to be published in June, will provide for county councils and shire districts to be abolished and replaced with unitary authorities with populations between 250,000 and 1,000,000. Because these will be fairly large authorities there is also talk of some ill-defined neighbourhood governance, which the minister David Miliband is supposed to be very keen on. ...

Dear Fellow Member, Since I was elected leader of our great party, we have grown in size and influence in every year, at every election and at every level. Now our members must decide who should lead the Liberal Democrats to the next level. The decision that we take is vitally important. After [...]

I have always liked Denmark. I have many Danish friends. I like Copenhagen, I even like the Danish language, which seems to me to carry some echoes of English. The quiet, humorous Danes have created a steady, civilized country, which is proud of its achievements without being jingoistic. The Country is, to use that almost nineteenth Century word "worthy". High minded, honourable and kind. Danish democracy is consensus based, but the country has not been afraid to make occasionally radical political decisions. Denmark is a country that, whatever its faults- and all countries have them- works. Now, steady, stable and ...

Apologies to everyone but I've been feeling under the weather over the last few days, and I've finally succumbed to flu or something, and I'm tapping this from my sick bed through the wonders of wi-fi. Should have known I was sickening for something when I got an e-mail on Tuesday complaining that I wasn't at my surgery at St Swithun's Church. But I was sure that I did my Saturday surgery. Then the horror dawned. I did it at Lewisham Library instead. So apologies to the 6 people who turned up at the church ...

I don’t want this blog to become an extended plug for the New Statesman, but Peter Wilby in his excellent media column captures much of what I feel about the cartoons furore. There have been a number of reasons why the rate of posting on this blog has slowed down over the last few days, but among has been a subconscious nervousness on my part. On the one hand there is the temptation to assert boldy and fearlessly my own secular liberal views on free speech. On the other, I am not just an individual who publishes a blog ...

Chris Huhne has said that he was delighted that the YouGov members' poll showed that he was now leading his two rivals. The YouGov poll shows 38 per cent support among Liberal Democrat members for Chris Huhne as leader, with 34 per cent for Sir Menzies Campbell and 27 per cent for Simon Hughes.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing to come out of today’s YouGov poll of Liberal Democrat members is the inconsistency expressed in relation to environmental policy. This poll is the catalyst for me to put fingers to keyboard and write a post I’ve been meaning to compose for a while now - it’s a biggy, but I [...]

The most worrying thing about the poll on the right-hand side of this blog (apart from the options) is that 111 people think they are Salman Rushdie... ...I am also a bit perturbed that floppy-haired stud (not my opinion - apparently he has something of a female following) Boris Johnson agrees with me about New Labour: Lefties are fundamentally interested in coercion and control, and across

Ming Campbell for Leader? Well, in many ways he’s the most presentable candidate, the sort of Prime Minister your Grandad might have trusted, and a gut Liberal on a lot of issues; I even agree with the lectures he’s been making to the party in the past few years about being too keen to ban everything. The press have been saying how good he is for years, making him probably still best-placed to swiftly establish Lib Dem ‘credibility’. He also has the rare ability to sound righteous without sounding merely self-important. So what’s my problem with him? ‘Charles Kennedy’, in ...

To: letters@independent.co.ukDear Sir, Let's hope that "The Two Sides of Heroin, UK" (Feb 9th) signifies curtains for the worldwide program of brutal prohibition that creates both unlikely heroes and tragic martyrs. Prohibition, and the "War on Drugs", have failed. Worse, they are the primary factors in the misery and death that we see drugs wreaking in communities worldwide. Compared with

The Scottish Secretary evokes the name of the late MP to encourage out their vote in what should be a safe seat. "I ask everyone who lives in Dunfermline and West Fife to preserve [Rachel Squire's] memory by voting for Labour." "Do it for Rachel. And do it for every hard-working family, every pensioner and every child in your community." Alistair Darling Actually Alistair the people of

A YouGov Poll of 401 Liberal Democrat members (polled between 7th and 9th February), has put Chris Hunhe in the lead amongst first preferences and wins overall with second preference counted. The poll was commissioned by ex-Conservative MEP and now Liberal Democrat John Stevens, and as an Internet poll will have questioned more activists than armchair members - which may give Huhne an advantage (as the activists are more likely to have heard of him).

Via Nick, a poll which puts Huhne on 38%, Campbell on 34% and Hughes on 27%.

John Stevens, the former Conservative MEP who is now a Liberal Democrat, today released the results of a poll of Liberal Democrat members he has commissioned from YouGov. The first preference for the Leadership of 401 Liberal Democrat members polled between 7th and 9th February were:

Yesterday, David Cameron invited local Lib Dems in Dunfermline to join his party. Let me explain why this invitation is laughable, and will not be taken seriously here in Scotland or anywhere else in the country by Lib Dem members.

I was up at 5 this morning and out in Crossford delivering for the Dunfermline by-election. I was dropped of at Inverkiething Station at 8:10 and just made it in in time for work at 9. Before you ask I did ask for today off but due to staffing issues was not allowed the time. I did take two days off last week which was the most they would allow. I wish I was the other side of the Forth ironically

As Rob mentions, Simon Hughes got a whopping 71% in the election for party president eighteen months ago. While this is indeed evidence that members have been happy to vote for him in the past, I don’t think it can be extrapolated to the current leadership election - and I write as one of those [...]

At least according to the Guardian it is. The article goes on to say Yet this contest is primarily about the manner, approach and tactics of thecontenders, not their political direction. The candidates' programmes areremarkably similar and offer little to challenge the views of grassroot LibDems, who are determined to defend their power in deciding what they stand for. and I would concur so far. As has been said elsewhere I shall wait for tonights Question Time and Saturdays hustings in Slough before marking the candidates and seeing where that leaves me

For real this time: According to YouGov first preference voting intentions of Liberal Democrat members who have decided how to vote are Huhne 38%, Campbell 34%, Hughes 27% with 16% of members still undecided. […] Huhne is seen as the candidate who will most appeal to women, with the best understanding of life outside politics and the best [...]

In the interests of efficient democracy, voting will be abolished. Owen would like to remind us all that he had the story first, but clearly hadn’t realised that the universe we’re living in is now clearly the bad parody of the real world created for the amusement of the people living in the real universe [...]

There were two votes yesterday on a Free Vote. As they were on a Free Vote I feel I should explain my logic for voting as I did. A report from the Independent Monitoring Commission initially called for a suspension of the members allowances for the MPs that don't take their seats in the house of commons. (Sinn Fein). This same group concluded recently that matters had changed and hence the allowances should be restored. These allowances are mainly used to support constituents. Additionally the government proposed that SF be given a sum of money equivalent ...

Thursday 9th February 2006 - The Leadership campaign has generated a lot of material for Lib Dem blog sites and some very interesting entries and debates on the merits of all three candidates. Reading one this morning that was criticising one of the contender's efforts it struck me there may well be a good reason for some of the criticism I have read about the campaigning efforts of all

With just hours to go to Question Time it is too close to call. Today's Guardian reports that large numbers of Liberal Democrat members are still undecided. I suspect that the Question Time special tonight will help most to make up their mind. At present I believe that anyone of the three candidates can win.

Very best of luck to Willie Rennie today in the Dunfermline and West Fife by-election. We'll be up on tenterhooks tonight hoping he wins, and he certainly deserves to. Unfortunately I've not been well enough to get up there (bah!), but hopefully I'll lose my record of getting to every by-election the Lib Dems have won since late 1991 (including leafletting and canvassing on the orders of some terrible martinet agent called Willie Rennie. No, he was brilliant). My first was Kincardine and Deeside, when I was much younger and painfully thin; in the chilly November wind and rain my ...

A study of university admissions staff claims that numeracy, literacy and study skills are falling amongst school leavers. I've taught 1st year undergraduates (multi-disciplinary subject, Russell Group Uni)and the two BIG problems I had with students were that they had been 'spoon-fed' and were 'learned but not educated'. Schools hand-hold students through the syllabus. When they get to university, 1st years expect to be told the answers. As soon as they hit a problem in computer lab - their hands are straight up in the air asking for help. By the time the demonstrator arrives, they've solved the ...

Well said that man!"David Cameron's flip-flops on policy expose his inexperience. He's still a novice. A leader with L-Plates. "So while Conservatives may think that youth, inexperience, and naivete are the answer to their problems;...

Outer Packaging Chris Why would you vote for someone who looks like he has his face permanently pressed up against a pane of glass? Sorry Chris, only teasing, you’re quite cute really, just a little grey……….and you remind me too much of a……….. Jehovah’s Witness………. Ming Sadly seems to have aged considerably over the last few weeks – you remind me of my dad, which is a good thing, I love my dad, but I’m way too old to be your daughter! You are still however smart and attractive – definitely a candidate for ...