Mutterings about Ming

I've been hearing some worrying bits of gossip from one or two LibDem contacts about whether Ming Campbell would be able to last the pace as LibDem leader. And then I read the following on Wat Tyler's excellent Runners & Riders Blog. This is from a doctor. When reading it, bear in mind that Sir Ming says he has fully recovered from a form of cancer known as Non Hodgkins Lymphoma.

"There has been a lot of sanctimonious bottywipe talked about poor old Charlie. His mistake was not being a lush, but not coming clean about it earlier. Had he done that, he could have got away with it. Look at President George W. Meanwhile, Ming is taking full advantage of Charlie's health problems. But Ming is telling porkies too. He has not "beaten" cancer as the press delight in saying. He is (I hope) in remission. Frankly, looking at him as a doctor, I have my doubts about his health. He looks pretty emaciated to me - he is beginning to resemble Sir Alec Douglas Doom. We need a declaration from Ming's oncologists that he is fit to become leader. We need to know what the odds are that he will alive/fit to fight the next election. I am not a bookmaker. But medically I would say less than 50%."

Now if I were a LibDem (isn't it worrying how often I've said that recently?!) I would be taking this very seriously. Obviously everyone hopes that Ming is indeed fully recovered but LibDems wouldn't be human (stop it...) if their pencils hovered above the ballot paper for a split second before putting their cross against the name Campbell. Actually, they don't put a cross do they? I suppose they put a 1.

Hat tip to Matt in the Daily Telegraph for the cartoon