Now I don’t have a lot of time for LibDems as a group, they invariably seem petty and pointless and watching them trying to act collectively is akin to witnessing a Jack Russell trying to herd cats. However, they do occasionally throw up some impressive individuals and I was sad to learn that David Howarth, the highly intelligent and thoughtful MP for Cambridge, is to stand down after just one term. Friends tell me he is frustrated by the sheer impotence of MPs whose prime purpose, he feels, is to persuade their constituents that they are hyper-actively busy in order to get re-elected so that the cycle of impotence can continue. He is not entirely wrong which is why the Government was wise to stop prevaricating over implementing the very sensible reforms proposed by the Wright Committee on which I served with David. Although we have now been promised a date (February 23^rd) for a Commons debate on the Reform Committee’s recommendations, there is still uncertainty as to whether this will be followed by a binding vote. For the life of me I cannot see why any MP would want to face the electorate at the end of this Parliament appearing to be a road block to reform. At its best the Commons Chamber can be the cockpit of our democracy but all too often it is reduced to a second rate bear pit for party cheerleaders.