Indeed, when all parties campaign effectively the overall effect is to push up voting rates, as you see in tight marginal seats or close general elections. That must be good for democracy.

It's estimated that by 2030 there will be virtually no unskilled jobs in the British economy.

The era of industrial Britain, where a large section of our workforce provided cheap labour in factories and processing goods is over.

When the heart stops for one beat it is desire, when it stops for one life time it is love

What the Lib Dems have failed to do is offer any meaningful agenda for government or for power.

Surely, the best and most effective measure is to get the economy moving and shorten the period of recession or slowdown. That's the rationale for Gordon Brown's "fiscal stimulus" and it sounds like a good one to me.

The impact of the downturn is starting to feel very real. House prices and the housing market have been taking the knock for some time and that's affecting people.