Better Late Than Labour

As things stand I can't see myself voting Conservative again - not under Cameron at any rate - but I guess I'm slightly more likely to do so following his decision to withdraw the whip from Derek Conway. It does provide a contrast with how New Labour are dealing with their own problems.

It's a bit worrying though that it took Cameron 24 hours to do the deed. This tells me that he did it because of the reaction from fellow MPs, in the Press and probably on the Internet (I was looking at the comments on Guido's blog this morning and was heartened by the robust reaction from Conservative Party supporters). It would have been better if Cameron had got shot of Conway on principle; i.e. because he recognised an abuse of our money when he saw it, but instead he's done it because it's the politically expedient thing to do. It's not just his ideology that takes him close to the Liberal Democrats.

That said, he's laid down a marker to any other MP who fancies taking the mickey with our money, has acted (semi) decisively and has invited the public to draw a distinction between the way he's handled this and the way in which Brown has failed to act over Hain, Alexander and The Devine Harriet. That may well prove popular.

You have to say that all this doesn't reflect very well on the constituents of Old Bexley and Sidcup. Clearly they've elected a thief. And before that, they elected a socialist.