If the Gang of Four had stayed with Labour, would David Owen have become PM?

The 25th anniversary of the Limehouse Declaration this week has recalled to mind a conversation I had with Dr David Owen at a lunch in Westminster a few years back.

Asked whether he thought that he would have become Prime Minister had he stayed in the Labour Party, he replied: "Oh, there isn't a shadow of doubt about that."

You have to admire the man's self-belief, but I think in this instance it was misplaced. Owen may have been a Blairite before Blair - but Blairism's time had not yet come.

I look at the history and legacy of the SDP in greater detail in this column.

Cheers Iain!

Practically everyone rates Iain Dale's Diary as one of the top political blogs around - so it's gratifying to find he's named this blog among his Top 25!

Apparently I'm "the political journalist who tells it like it is." Well, that's what I've always tried to do.

Iain's unique selling point is slightly different from mine as he is a Tory insider and veritable fount of gossip about what's going on in right-wing circles. His current obsession is the possibility that up to three Lib Dem MPs might defect to the Tories.

I'm not convinced about it myself - but since I readily accept Iain knows more about this subject than me I'm open to being proved wrong!

Huhne campaign launches Bloggers4Chris

Chris Huhne may only be recognised by three percent of voters, but he appears to be the favoured Lib Dem leadership candidate of the blogosphere.

Now his campaign have launched a new website entitled bloggers4chris.org and those of us who think Mr Huhne might make a half-decent leader are invited to display its logo. Happy to oblige.

This moral cesspit

The detailed nature of the revelations concerning Mark Oaten are said to be so disgusting that not even the News of the Screws will print them.

That of course has not stopped a few jokes doing the rounds that moreorless give the game away.

This one is far too filthy to reproduce on a family-orientated blog (?) but if you're into Lib Dem toilet humour you can read it here.

When this story first broke I didn't think Oaten should quit as MP, but I would now take the view that Oaten's credibility is blown to such an extent that if the Lib Dems want to hold the seat, they should find a new candidate.

Kelly not out of woods yet

Ruth Kelly appears to have survived the calls for her to quit over the sex offenders in schools row - but now she faces an even bigger challenge.

And if she fails to win backbench support for Tony Blair's education reforms, it won't just be her job that's on the line....

You can read more on this in my latest column. Alternatvely, if you want to hear the podcast version, you can find it here.

Doubtless Ms Kelly will be grateful for this rather more supportive piece from Andrew Rawnsley in this week's Observer.

Blair-Brown handover deal back on?

BBC pol ed Nick Robinson speculates in his blog that Blair and Brown may have agreed a date for the long-awaited handover.

I agree, and I'm going to stick my neck out and say the date they've agreed is May 2, 2007 - the 10th anniversary of Mr Blair's coming to power.

I've said this before of course - most recently in this column published in the Newcastle Journal and Lincolnshire Echo last October.

But to my mind it's a fair compromise between TB's desire for a "full third term" and GB's need to get stuck into Cameron at the despatch box.