At The Core

The Lib Dems have turned on their core supporters, the people who think of themselves as at least leftish but who would starve the lower orders in order to ensure that their own offspring paid nothing to be second, third and subsequent generation university entrants.

There is nothing unusual in this, of course. Margaret Thatcher's premiership fully continued her time as Education Secretary, during which she closed so many grammar schools that there were not enough left at the end for her record ever to be equalled. And Tony Benn, as Energy Secretary, closed so many pits that there were not enough left at the end for his record ever to be equalled, either.

Meanwhile, Charles Kennedy and Sir Menzies Campbell should ponder that they are the only MPs in the entire House whose seats have been saved from the coming boundary changes. There are plenty of Tory grandees, but apparently they are nowhere near as grand as the two Lib Dem ones. In tonight's division, we shall see exactly how grand, with apparently no concept that this was ever anything other than their birthright, for which they therefore cannot be expected to display even so much as the slightest gratitude.