MING CAMPBELL DEPARTS

By RAY FLEMING AT the end of the brief statement to the press about Menzies Campbell's resignation, given on Monday evening by Simon Hughes, the president of the Liberal Democrats, several shouts of “Who put the knife in?” were heard from the journalists. On radio and TV throughout yesterday accusations that he had been pushed were heard despite equally insistent assurances from Paddy Ashdown and others that the decision had been Sir Ming's own, and late yesterday afternoon he himself confirmed that this was so: “The decision was mine alone,“ he said. That is probably true. From the moment that Gordon Brown decided not to call an early election Ming Campbell must have known that in the interests of the party he should go sooner rather than later and give his successor a chance to establish himself before an election in late 2009 or even 2010. The decision must have been made easier for him by self-recognition that his quiet, dignified, principled approach to politics was hardly attuned to the rackety business it has become with the advent of 24-hour TV news, frequent polling and the cult of personality. The Liberal Democrats now face a more difficult task as a third party than at any time since their creation since many of their policies have been embraced by the Conservatives under David Campbell.