No Liberty, No Respect

David Davis was subjected to merciless ridicule and abuse by whoever was the presenter of the Today programme this time (does anyone care anymore?), but it was notable that no Lib Dem was on to try and explain the remaining point of that party when the Government of which it was part, on which it could pull the plug at any time and end the lifelong dream of an entire generation of Conservatives who assumed themselves born to rule, could come up with a proposal such as this. Nor was there anyone from the Official Opposition, lest the electorate become aware of the existence of a non-Blairite alternative.

They are aware of such a thing, however, in Bradford West. It is now established that George Galloway won every ward there, Asian and white, working-class and middle-class, including 85 per cent of the vote in the university ward, beating the anointee of the Pakistani patriarchs into the ground while also blowing away the 2010 swing to the Conservatives. There have been complaints below the line on things like Coffee House about the amount of coverage that he has received there. But to Westminster Villagers he is a thing of terrifying fascination, a man who can get himself into Parliament while neither one of them nor with any aspiration to become so, but rather actively opposed by and to their entire subculture.

Galloway will not be repeating the moment of madness that cost Respect half a dozen to a dozen seats in this hung Parliament. If he continues to play his cards right, then there could be 15 to 20 seats in the next hung Parliament for that alliance of at least wannabe Trotskyists and at least wannabe Islamists, which has such a manifest appeal to middle-class white youths and to working-class or poorer British Pakistani or British Bangladeshi youths, but under the infinitely shrewder leadership of a pro-life Catholic with Old Labour economic, civil libertarian, Eurosceptical and Unionist views. How about 15 to 20 more for a formation capable of reaching very different sections of society on much the same actual basis but with no need to pretend otherwise, also keeping Ed Miliband's coming, and urgently needed, Labour Government from doing anything silly under pernicious media influence? Where is that formation?

Just do not expect to hear about either of them on the Today programme.