“On the ground the yellow team are spiteful and vicious” Guido Fawkes

The Liberal Democrats love to pretend that they are the fluffy, cuddly alternative to the nasty politics of the Tories and Labour. The truth, as any Labour or Conservative activist could tell you, is that the Lib Dems are usually the dirtiest, nastiest political campaigners around. They never usually trouble themselves with inconveniences such as facts or the truth.

Guido Fawkes reports that The Mirror’s Kevin Maguire has a delightful little tale about overhearing a Lib Dem activist on a train boasting on his mobile about he’d got the Evening Standard to claim Labour has secret plans to shut Kingston Hospital. Lib Dem MP Susan Kramer can now run a ‘successful’ campaign to save a hospital that we never going to close. It’s straight from the Lib Dem astro-turfing  play book – whip up an artificial campaign and then claim the victory.

Guido Fawkes comments: “Once again it is another blow to the image of the Liberal Democrats as fluffy and nice that Clegg and Cowley Street constantly spin. On the ground the yellow team are spiteful and vicious.”

Let this be cautionary reminder for voters in the Leeds by-election for Hyde Park and Woodhouse. Labour has an exemplary candidate in Gerry Harper.

It still never ceases to amaze me how indiscrete people can be on train. This incident isn’t too dissimilar from the one I experienced in June when I overheard and Twittered the conversation of two Total executives discussing the Lindsey refinery dispute, which was then picked up and run by The Guardian.

UPDATE: According to Guido it appears that this wasn’t a rogue Lib Dem activist, but that Susan Kramer, the Lib Dem MP, was actively involved in this plot to mislead the electorate.