These are dangerous days.  You have only to look at any UK newspaper (for the sake of clarity, and to their shame, that group does not include political apologists The Daily Mail and The Telegraph) to see the depth of despair over the antics of the British government.  A seemingly endless stream of lies, threats, exceptions and evasions flows forth from No. 10 – they are responsible for everything, and nothing.  The prime minister lies (to Queen and country), acts illegally, fails to attend key meetings, hides and blusters; and yet he continues to be.

The job of Leader of the Opposition is never easy – far harder to hold a party together when it is out of office, to get headlines when you are not the decision maker and to be heard above the clamour of parliament when facing an overwhelming government majority.   It takes time to turn the fortunes of a political party.

But consider this: how many of those who voted Tory at the last general election expected to see this overweight tatterdemalion scarecrow sacrifice his chancellor to a bullying unelected henchman, offer support to a US President widely regarded as off the rails, preside (whether he accepts the responsibility or not, his it is) over the deaths of something around 50,000 of his fellow citizens, and mumble and bluster as the economy heads towards disaster?