This Parrot is Dead!

And so to last night’s Newsnight and another tetchy double-header between Nick Clegg and Chris Huhne, peddling their respective wares to become top dog of the Dead Parrot Party.

Smart for Huhne to adopt the Karl Rove strategy and attack your enemy on his strongest ground. By talking about Clegg’s “flip flops” –particularly his indelicate remarks about “breaking up the NHS” he questions his opponent’s ability to communicate clearly with the electorate.

The fringe benefit of the ‘release’ of the “Calamity Clegg” dossier is that the substance of Huhne’s attack – that you can’t really trust Clegg because he has Tory-ish ideas – is now in the open. Won’t do him too much damage in the country, but the beardie-weirdies in the Lib Dems may get cold feet (and not just from wearing sandals!)

“We understand each other, we like each other” Huhne protested (too much). From my reading, Huhne has killed off any chance of kissing and making up with Clegg if he loses. The body language said it all. A high risk strategy, but like Ming, Clegg is fine going forward but flaky on the back foot – and peevish to boot. It’s not in the bag yet Nicky Boy. Yes high risk for Huhne, but fortune favours the bold.

Both were evasive and badly briefed for the inevitable question of who they would back in the event of a hung parliament. Both men are clever; albeit not very quick on their feet. And prone to drift off the point.

Neither has the oomph of Paddy Ashdown. Nor the likeability of Charles Kennedy.

But after 18 fusty months of Ming and tanking in the polls, the only way for the DPP is up.