Kennedy Scoop! What scoop?

WHAT a scop for The Times! Senior Liberal Democrats, including Sir Ming Campbell, helped Charles Kennedy conceal his alcoholism for years before he quit as leader.

That a scoop? Find me a political journalist at Westminster who hadn't know fopr much of his leadership that Mr Kennedy had a drink problem and that would be a scoop. There was enough innuendo and sly asides in the media for everyone to work out for themselves what was going on.

What I didn't know is that the confession of "I'm Charles and I'm an alcoholic" was to be made in 2003, but Mr Kennedy didn't have the bottle (sorry, no pun intenmded) to go through with it.

It was this January, during the New Year break at Westminster, that Mr Kennedy finally told the opublic what most journalists knew. He was forced to do because 25 of his MPs said they would refuse to cover up for him and quit the frontbench in protest.

All of this is recalled in a book being serialised in The Times this week. And it calls into question the judgement of Sir Ming for being part of a consipiracy of silence.

Most voters seem to want Mr Kennedy back in charge of the Lib Dems, warts and all. Let's face it, Sir Ming has hardly set the world alight, which accounts for the Lib Dems' failure to pick up a significant increase in support during the Government's current woes.

Just four weeks to go before the Lib dem confenerce opens in Brighton. The views of activists on Kennedy and Campbell will be truly fascinating.