As I watched the Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey treat the first week of the general election campaign like an episode of Total Wipeout, I thought of the old joke about a floating voter wandering into Liberal Democrat HQ. “I’d like a copy of your manifesto”. “I am very terribly, sir, but we’ve sold out.” “Everyone knows that! But I would still like a copy of your manifesto!”
Now the theoretical voter has the manifesto. Sir Ed is running on trivia and grins. It is gruesome to type out his campaign strategy, but I do, because politics is not the only thing that has declined in seriousness. At the unveiling of the Lib Dem battle bus, journalists were given prosecco, puzzles and party poppers: a Saga daytrip having a final thrill on the way to the grave.
