This could have been called ‘Voice of despair MkII’. On the eve of poll the Lib Dems locally are trying to latch on to the Gurkhas story, claiming to have started a campaign ‘years ago’ while Nick Clegg first asked a question about it ‘last year’. Nothing at all to do with European elections but Baroness Ludford (whose title is kept very much under wraps, by the way!) is quoted as having agreed with Ed Davey about Europe’s environment laws.

This leaflet is one of the most cynical ploys I have seen from this source in quite a time. It asks readers to sign a petition for ‘a fair deal for Gurkhas’ (in large letters) – having just celebrated forcing the Government to give them one! What it really wants is the details of your name, address, email address, mobile number and landline number so that Lib Dem activists can pester you in future – it even says so in very small print, thus skirting round the Data Protection Act. None of this information is relevant to this bogus petition. My advice is not to sign it at all, but if you do, confine yourself to name and address only and state that you do not wish to be included on any database held by the Lib Dems for any purpose.

It also invites you to join the Lib Dms or make a donation. It is fair enough to invite people to join or donate to a political party. We do it all the time – but to do it under cover of helping a justly admired group of soldiers strikes me as beneath contempt.