When Ming Campbell was hurried into retirement by his Lib Dem colleagues, the general consensus was that it was bad news for the Tories. Before Ming’s departure, senior Tories joked that they were members of the preserve Ming society. There was a real worry among Tory supporters that Nick Clegg could emerge as an attractive alternative to David Cameron and eat into their support both winning back Lib Dem switchers and becoming a stopping off point for disillusioned Labour voters.
The good news for the Tories is that even if Clegg does win on Tuesday, he’ll leave the leadership race with little to no momentum. A press that was generally enthusiastic about him has soured on him during his lacklustre campaign. While Vince Cable’s wonderful cameos at PMQs has set the bar high for Clegg who doesn’t seem cut out for the bear-pit atmosphere of the Commons at Wednesday lunchtime.
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