The astonishing removal of Charles Kennedy for having been a heavy drinker confirmed my long-held belief that the Liberal Democrats are by far the nastiest and most ruthless bunch of all. It was frustrating to see gullible people regarding them as the nice party when I knew differently. Their dirty tricks in election campaigns are legendary and probably gave Alastair Campbell ideas in the first place. I heard a real stinker of a poisonous viper on Today during the campaign to oust Kennedy: former MP Jenny Tonge, who is now apparently ‘Baroness’ Tonge. All Liberal Democrats need to hear now is that Menzies Campbell and Simon Hughes are secret cross-dressers who like nothing better than cavorting in frilly pink frocks.
Anyway, Kennedy’s plight gave Radio Four a good idea: Under The Influence, a programme about the Westminster drinking culture, presented by columnist and former Tory MP Matthew Parris (Saturday, repeated Thursday).
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