Do the Lib Dems want involved in anything?

It has transpired that Paddy Ashdown has been offered a top cabinet post by Gordon Brown. Nick Robinson raises the question of whether this is a display of brilliance or ineptitude from our soon to be dear-leader (*thumps chest twice and salutes faithfully*)

But even though it could have been either, it turns out the offer has been rejected and will result in nothing more than a damp squib of a news story.

It's a shame really. I know that fiction is not the best model for real life but fellow fans of The West Wing will know that the series ended with the winning presidential candidate offering the loser the role of Foreign Secretary. It was even done in a realistic way, no schmaltz or cheese, which is saying something for a US tv show. And it was a feel-good story, albeit one that would be so unlikely to take place in modern Politics. This story today seems to be the closest we'll come to it in the UK for a good while.

Anyway, my impression is that the Lib Dems have missed a trick. They are after all sitting at 14% in the polls and are in danger of being miles from the limelight with the looming general election being all about Brown vs Cameron. We all saw in the Scottish elections what happens when a contest becomes a two-horse race. The ancilliary parties and independents get squeezed out.

And why wouldn't they want to get involved anyway? This question still applies to Tavish Scott and Nicol Stephen etc too of course. They are in Politics to change things, make life better for us all through their party political prism of how things should be done. And given they are placed 3rd and 4th in the UK and Scotland respectively, then surely they need to take every opportunity to shine in frontline politics that may come their way. So to knock back an offer of Northern Ireland Secretary (or whatever was on the table) seems to be something that the Lib Dems may well regret.

Gordon Brown on the other hand comes out of this really rather well. He gets the plaudits of being serious about his "government of the talents", the Lib Dems can't criticise the government too strongly in certain areas now as the obvious retort will be "well, you had the chance to help out yourselves" and best of all for Gordon, the Labour party faithful (remember them?) that would have been livid about the appointment will be somewhat calmer given Paddy won't be joining the Cabinet.


So, in the words of West Wing's Jed Bartlett, "what's next..."


David Cameron for Environment Secretary?