Pity Britain’s Liberal Democrats. Boxed in by Conservatives and Labour – which both plunder them as a resource-bank for ideas and gimmicks – almost the only serious question their leaders are asked is which party they would back if it came to a coalition. That is a shame.

At a particularly bleak moment in the UK’s political life, where the scandal over MPs’ expenses looms large, the third party should be in with a chance. But what chance could that be, under such a discriminatory electoral system?