So, let’s see if I’ve got this straight.
In the last week or so:
- Chris Huhne has made an arse of himself by presenting a combination of sensible environmental tax policies and an income tax cut in such a way that they get reported as a £2,000 hike in people’s car tax.
- Simon Hughes has made an arse of himself by pompously laying into the party leader – who beat him soundly in the leadership election – and having to be slapped down for behaving like a Tory.
- Mark Oaten has made an arse of himself by growing a silly beard and prancing around on TV in an apparent bid to become the next Neil and Christine Hamilton.
- And today, Ming Campbell has made an arse of himself by loudly criticising a pretty innocuous internal email sent round about the Bromley by-election, thus ensuring that we start the campaign with one hand tied behind our backs.
In other words, each man has demonstrated exactly the weakness his opponents suspected him of during the leadership campaign. Huhne’s been too clever for his own good and ignored the wider picture. Hughes has been an egomanical loose cannon. Oaten’s been a shallow prat with no awareness of his own ridiculousness. And Ming… well, let’s not even go there.
No wonder it was so difficult to decide who to vote for.