Cable the Capable?

Yesterday, we had what is rapidly becoming a weekly British tradition. We had the (really rather wonderful) spectacle of Gordon Brown being ritually kicked half to death in the House of Commons at Prime Minister’s Questions. Cameron was relishing the situation, questioning whether Brown is actually up to the job of being Prime Minister. But the killer comment came not from the leader of the Opposition, but rather from a different source. For it was Acting Liberal Democrat Leader Vince Cable who so memorably described Gordon Brown as having gone from Stalin to Mr Bean in just a few short weeks. That is the sort of description that will stick.

And it is not the first time that Cable has managed to attract attention for his beleaguered party. He was the party leader who refused to meeting the visiting Saudi royalty, and he got headlines for (incorrectly in my view) calling for the nationalisation of Northern Rock. For the first time in recent memory, the Liberal Democrats are getting into the news for something other than having a drunk or an incompetent old fool as a leader.

Guido is right, there must be some Liberal Democrats ruing the fact that Cable didn’t stand. And regardless of whether Hideous Huhne or Calamity Clegg wins the leadership election, the Liberal Democrats could do far worse than keeping Cable in the public eye.