I rush to Westminster Hall – where mini-versions of Parliamentary debates take place. Members (i.e. MPs) put in for a particular debate – and it is a lottery as to whether you get one. I keep putting in – but haven’t been pulled out of the hat as yet.

The MP who does succeed in getting the debate puts the case for whatever subject they have chosen, other Members can choose to come and speak and will be called if there is time, and then there is a winding up by each of the opposition parties and the Government Minister then has to respond to all the point made. So it can be a useful exercise to put a case and have a Minster address the issues raised by the debate. There is no vote.

So – I rush today to watch one as tomorrow and Thursday I am on the front bench for the Lib Dems in Westminster Hall and want to see one in action before I have to do it myself. However, the Tory who has the debate is not there at the time of starting and the Chair immediately suspends proceedings. The debate falls. As I exit the room, a very puffed Tory rushes past – but too late. Poor guy.

Later on I go to an all-party meeting on prison reform where (Home Secretary) Charles Clarke is putting forward, as far as I can see, LibDem policy on prison reform – rehabilitation, education, community sentences. How come when we have this in our manifesto the buggers just chant ‘soft on crime’? It is so stupid ‘cos everyone knows that prison isn’t working in terms of the prison – 60% of prisoners re-offend within two years and the huge growth in the prison population costs a fortune – money that therefore isn’t available to be spent on other things like crime prevention or the NHS. Anyway – always nice (if galling) to be able to say ‘I told you so’.