Knowing Paddy Ashdown a little, I have no doubt that the reasons he gave for the announcement of his resignation as Liberal Democrat leader in June are both straight and sincere. The timing of the announcement may have been a more contingent matter. He probably did not plan to scupper media coverage of Lords’ reform by going public on that same afternoon of 20 January. Perhaps he did not expect to make quite such a splash; he has an understated view of his own importance.
He has caught the imagination of the people, though, as a man of courage, honesty and fundamental decency. The people, not parliament – he shares that preference with the Prime Minister, to whom he is close. And he also shared with Tony Blair “the project” which, without Ashdown and Peter Mandelson, now needs to be rethought.
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