The state of the Tories

The second domestic political ruction worth noting is the defection to Labour of the Tory MP Robert Jackson. The BBC reports the official Conservative response.

"[Jackson] believes students should pay tuition fees, that Tony Blair should not be criticised over his handling of the Iraq war and that more powers should be given to Europe," the spokesman said.

Well, that certainly summarises the editorial position of this blog. It is hugely encouraging that the supporters of this noble programme are coalescing.

When I started this site 18 months ago - and before then, in letters to the press - I argued that, while I would be voting Labour as usual at the next election, there was a strong case for progressives generally to consider voting tactically to defeat the Liberal Democrats. Now that the Conservative Party has, on two of the three issues cited by its spokesman, adopted the position of the Liberal Democrats, I can no longer offer that advice with a straight face. I withdraw it.