Skipper

The dilemmas facing all three parties over the AV referendum are just so wonderfully full of conflict. For the Conservatives Cameron cannot fight too hard against it as loss might lead Clegg and his troops out of the coalition. Yet if the vote is won Tory MP Peter Bone says there 'absolutely' could be a leadership challenge.

For Labour a victory would please its leader but not the majority of his MPs including three of his Shadow Cabinet. However their spat over sharing a platform with Clegg has been solved. Ed didn't fancy it partly because Clegg is so hated in his party and partly because Clegg is probably right now the worst person as an advocate for anything let alone a major constitutional change. Charles Kennedy will now share the platform instead having at first been banned from doing so by Clegg.

Clegg probably acceded to pressure from his own MPs to allow this joint activity as his dilemma is that while victory would cement his party behind him defeat will probably cause it to walk away from the coalition and ruin the party's chance of sitting in ministerial limos for the indefinite future. So much rides on this vote for all three parties yet, I reckon a visitor to this country would be forgiven for not realising it is taking place, so low key is the issue given dramatic overseas events in the Arab world and in Japan.