I'm seeing a surprising number (and by surprising I mean more than one, and more than just devout Labour supporters) of people supporting what are absolutely obscene benefit reform proposals, proposals we have just about zero chance of stopping unfortunately. Take, for example, supposedly Liberal Anders Hanson who thinks that no harm can come of it...

But regardless of your circumstances, I think everyone can do some form of voluntary community service whilst being unemployed. It keeps you in the habit of getting up and going to work (even if it is only once or twice a week that you do it) and it helps put something back in whilst you receive your benefit. This shouldn’t be seen as a punishment as the Government seem to be making it. It should simply be a way of contributing.

And what happens when that person refuses to "contribute"? They get no benefits, that's cool right?

Not a pun on Gordon Brown's affliction, but instead the current state of politics which means that political parties simply cannot afford to be different to each other. From Cameron fearing the new Lib Dem tax policy so being forced to admit that his "tax cut" agenda isn't set in stone at all, to Brown aping the Tory policies on forced labour for benefits, and all of this after the Lib Dems craftily stole the main points of Labours transport policy.

Of course while I think the Lib Dem policy is hypocritical garbage, and the news of Cameron willing to raise taxes is like saying the sky is blue, the Labour party never fail to surprise me in how far they're willing to go to become the nasty party, and to completely abandon the kind of liberal thinking that changed the face of this country over a decade ago.

Yesterday the new Finance bill went through with a comfortable vote on all counts, the government and Labour party clearly rallied together enough not to enable the Tories to claim a victory here. The main crux of the debates yesterday surrounded car taxation and partly fuel duty for those in "remote rural" areas.

Without sugar coating it, the debate was awful. It was engaging in a way that usually only a minor car accident can be, and definitely showed the worst of our elected representatives.

So the bloody David Davis hand-wringing continues. "Boo hoo, why won't the Lib Dem's stand", "Oh woe is us, DD doesn't fit out 100 point check list of a libertarian so we can't support him", or "Oh dear me, I can't possibly believe an MP can resign on a single principle without a direct hidden agenda!" is all I seem to hear from all but a select few. Quite frankly it's pathetic and getting more so as time goes on. Add to this some usual petty politics and over reactions on the blogs and this issue of 42 days is fast getting absorbed into the ether like a fidget in quicksand.

All it would take is 4 or 5 Labour MPs to change their vote from aye to no to turn the 42 day majority around. So who are the blighters that decided to vote against 90 days but for 42?

The MPs that we need to be asking questions of are... Michael Clapham, Ann Cryer, David Hamilton, Doug Henderson, Siân James, Sadiq Khan, Mark Lazarowicz, Tony Lloyd, Andrew Love, Chris McCafferty, George Mudie, Dennis Skinner, Peter Soulsby and Jon Trickett. These MPs, including at least one who has worked for Liberty, and many that have been all too happy to rebel on issues such as Trident, are the priority as far as I'm concerned. If you live in their constituency or know someone that is get a letter written to them and let's see what their reasoning is.

Across the blogosphere the big question over the last few days has been "will you or won't you?", of course in reference to "backing David Davis" in his by-election campaign.

The political scene seems split, those that supported 42 days are joined by those that were against it as old partisan divisions resurface, the saddest reality being that principles come after party colours no matter how much those colours have run.

So where will I stand?

I've been added as one of a handful of bloggers helping out at Liberal Conspiracy with their daily "NetCasts", and Thursday (for now at least) is my day in the sun. You can check out my offerings on the last 24 hours best blogs over at Liberal Conspiracy.

However I also wanted to mention a few blogs here that didn't quite make it in to my list of 6 or 7 items, and intend to do so each week here (if the quality of articles is out there!).

Lib Dem Voice - Mark Pack questions the way the Tories are picking their next Henley MP. Read the comments for the wider argument about how the Lib Dems do it too!
Political Betting - In an issue obviously close to Mike's heart, he wonders why it's taken so long to get the transparency needed for a controversial Ken Livingstone poll.
Alisdair's Blog - Get past the garish header and you have a 15 year old that manages to sound sensible on the subject of the new cluster bomb treaty.
Dizzy Thinks - Dizzy takes a look back at the websites of the main political parties as far back as before the 1997 general election. How times have changed...

You can also click below to continue reading and see the full list on this site if you so wish!

Let's not be coy about it, this is about as bad as it's been for Labour for over two decades. Every day there seems to be more bad news, and where there isn't bad news coming about Labour tearing itself apart there's almost always simply better news about the other parties. That is, until today.

Today marks the time that the Tories are starting to think about getting serious, and with that comes a true fleshing out of the variety of proposals that they have merely drifted over in the past. Good news for the Tories? Not when it shows the same anti-youth, authoritarian instincts of the current government in a traditionally poorly thought out Conservative manner

Gordon Brown has responded to the absolutely DEVASTATING result in Crewe and Nantwich by claiming that he is "listening", a desperate sense of language that almost pleads with the electorate to trust him going forward in to the future...and rightly so. He should be pleading, he should be begging, in fact he should be display a whole host of traits that are both simultaneously apologetic to the electorate that he and his government have betrayed so badly in the last 6 months and non-conducive to him remaining the leader of this country.

Can I just say... HALLELUJAH! If there is a god then they have obviously heard our collective prayers because today's PMQs was far beyond head and shoulders above the rest of the recent events

The reason for this seems to be partly down to a slight reduction in the heckling, but in reality I believe it to be because of as much as half the amount of planted Labour questions, real issues being discussed, and perhaps through a lack of pressure a Prime Minister that actually answered questions better without the constant need to attack "the party opposite"

Yes, it's true! The Tories are ignoring the statistical evidence in front of them and state they will tax dwindling sales of alcopops as well as strong beer and cider, you know the stuff that generally only find in your traditional local pub, and are going to use that barely existent amount of money to try and drop the price on alcohol that kids really drink. Lager.