So will we have Chris Huhne as our next leader?

Having attended the North Beds annual dinner last night I am sorry to say Chris Huhne did not win me over. He spoke well and was certainly more engaging than when participating in the hustings...........but...........well..........he just doesn't do it for me. Like others I was interested in the debate about our future leader taking place on Mike Smithson's political betting yesterday. Mike seems to have been pretty impressed, no doubt his views will emerge in due course. And there seem to be a lot of fellow members who are "bigging him up" at the moment. Frankly anyone who sees themselves as a credible leadership contender next time round needs to be putting in the graft now for if and when there is another leadership contest. His speech could not be faulted, although his optimism about where we are at the moment for me was misplaced. If we are to really make progress as a party we have to begin to deal with the realities of being the impala squeezed between two elephants, especially when the two elephants make it very hard for the impala to be seen. But.......the reality is, we may be small (but beautiful!) but we can run a hell of a lot faster than the elephant and our horns are not to be messed with!!! And his speech was very careful to focus on the issues he could be pretty damn sure the audience, whoever they were, would agree with -environment, civil liberties etc. No mention of Orange Book economics, Trident or tax for example. Sadly we were also denied the chance to question him as he was running off to catch a train. One of my fellow diners, who shall remain nameless, took the opportunity to lambast him over the disgraceful way Charles had been treated, a fact which still sticks in the gullet of many members and the public more generally.

So, an enjoyable evening with good company, but totally put paid to any idea I may have had about not talking about politics! I then got persuaded to go and meet friends at the only night club in Bedford where I feel young! Shouting above the strains of "Put your hands up for Detroit.........." I couldn't stop the conversation turning to politics, with two pals who are totally uninterested, but were still talking about their disappointment that Charles went as he was someone they felt able to relate to.

Today I had a lovely lunch with my children in Ireland (that's Ireland, Bedfordshire!) but having told my daughter the story of being chided by Yas about talking about politics too much, I then inadvertently without realising it strayed into the topic again, she pulled me up by saying, Mum you're doing it again, Yas was right! So I guess talking politics is like any bad habit, you don't know you're doing it!

And I must pass on my many many thanks to Duncan Borrowman who is the first person who has been able to explain to me in language I understand how to do all the fancy bits and add links to my blog. I'm just about to go and take a look at his brother's extreme sports site.......watch this space!