When Peter Hain, Leader of the Commons, spoke of a party of sheer naked opportunism, he wasn't talking about the Tories. He meant
his old comrades in the Liberal Democrats.
I suppose Hain would know all about opportunists, but why is he so worried about the Lib Dems all of a sudden? Could it be that Vincent Cable's plans for a 50p top tax rate for the rich is exactly what he proposed in a keynote speech before Tony Blair instructed him to withdraw it?
Labour aren't the only ones worried about the Lib Dems. At the start of the
Bournemouth conference, Michael Howard
launched a broadside for the Tories, claiming the Lib Dems are about to hit us with 40 new taxes. Charles Kennedy will be delighted with these attacks, because it means that people are taking his party seriously. He was even more delighted at the Sun's having joined the fray. "One's a spineless reptile that spits venom . . . the other is a poisonous snake," roared the sub-headline between pictures of the Lib Dem leader and a cobra. The paper warned that "the threat posed by the Lib Dems shouldn't be underestimated". How right that is, even though a snake is not the animal you would associate with Kennedy - more a cuddly bear.
Labour election strategists are very worried now, and not just because Blair has foolishly dumped a proven winner for a novice to run the campaign. Having spent a few days in Bournemouth, I am clear that this party is worth taking seriously. The Lib Dems' economic policy isn't as barking as before and there are plenty of Labour supporters, fed up with Blair's lies over the Iraq war, who will vote for Kennedy. I just wish he would call himself Charlie and not Charles.
