I don't know if I am being fair to Nick Clegg, but I read a short piece in the Guardian today on his condemnation of Labour and the Conservatives as 'corrupt'. Quite right too, their resolve to protect their parties at all costs, and to maintain the duopoly in the House of Conmons is corrupt. But surely Clegg should be sticking up for electoral reform - let's say proportional representation - for very important reasons other than that it is 'fair', presumably as between political parties. The single most important quality of PR is that it delivers representative assemblies; and in the case of the UK, one consequence of this ought to be that it would break the two main parties' domination not only of general elections but of Parliament between them.

Meanwhile I see that Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon are ringing round Labour MPs urging them to back a poll on Brown's performance as leader. I don't know about you, but I couldn't think of a more unwelcome person to be soliciting my support than either of these two former cabinet ministers unless Charles Clarke decided to join in.