Guess who says: 'I've had my shot...'

Which former LibDem Leader gave this answer on Question Time tonight when asked if he'd be a candidate to follow Ming Campbell?

It could only be Charlie Kennedy, who stepped down as Leader after having rather more shots than was good for him.

"Shafted by a complete shower of shits..."

How LibDem MP Mike Hancock tonight summed up why Ming Campbell resigned as party leader.

And you can see what he means, as Ming wasn't even at his own resignation announcement.

And tonight, what an appalling TV spectacle we are subjected to, as Deputy Leader Vince Cable and Party President Simon Hughes appearing as Tweedledee and Tweedledum, together astonishingly mournful on Newsnight and other media faking surprise and shock.

They looked like a pair of guilty schoolboys, caught red-handed by teacher.

Astonishing that both Ming's Deputy Vince, and Party President Simon were forced to admit that neither of them had even spoken with Ming today.

As I posted at lunchtime today, Dick Taverne put the knife in, claiming that Ming at 66, was just too old...

So Vince has stepped into the breach.

He's only 64...!

So who do BBC Newsnight turn to for comment...?

Step forward Mark Oaten, who was forced to drop out of the contest for rather unsavourary reasons 18 months ago when their last Leader was stabbed in the back...

Have the back-stabbers actually thought that their problem might not be their Leaders...?

It might just be them!

79-year-old LibDem Lord says Ming, 66, is too old...!

LibDem knives are going public to topple Ming Campbell now there's no prospect of a General Election until 2009. And leading the charge of the back-stabbers today is former Lincoln MP Dick Taverne.

Baron Taverne of Pimlico as he now prefers to be known, was on BBC's World at One programme to be first in the queue to call on Ming to do the decent thing.

With LibDem poll ratings down to as low as 11 per cent, Lord Taverne told unless Ming was replaced as Leader, the LibDems would go "down the drain" at the next election.

He also complains that "no-one takes any notice of us" with Ming as Leader.

LibDems were desperate for an early election. hoping they could replace Ming following the result. As predicted, as soon as Gordon Brown made it clear there would be no early election, the LibDem knives have appeared.

Lord Taverne was the first LibDem I've heard publicly say that Ming was too old to be Leader. He said the Libs needed someone with more "energy" and when asked if he meant a younger Leader was needed, he replied: "Yes".

A bit rich coming from a peer who will be celebrating his 79th birthday this week!

Ming's age - a mere 66 - is not and should not be the problem. It his lack of judgement and lack of ability to lead that's the problem.

Meanwhile, LibDem Deputy Leader Vince Cable hardly helped Ming's predicament by confirming that his position was "under discussion".

Ming's dilemma reminds me of what Councillor Jim Speechley said when he was finally forced to fall on his sword as Tory Leader of Lincolnshire County Council:

The Opposition may be facing me across the Chamber, but my real enemies are behind me...

Game up for the Mingers...?

Could Ming Campbell be the first casualty of Gordon Brown's decision not to hold an early general election...Could have been a Contender thinks so.

LibDems were gagging to get the general election behind them so they could move ahead, sack Ming and hand Nick Clegg the poisoned chalice.

LibDems stage a photo-call...

Whoever thought this would be a good idea for a Conference photo...?