Free advice to Ming: Don't declare yourself a failure

Mike Smithson has an interesting piece up at Political Betting arguing that if the Lib Dems are to be taken seriously by the media they need their very own Campbell or Coulson. Certainly, when you read about Ming Campbell declaring in a conference QandA “Well of course I'm a failure” the case for some proper media handling seems inarguable. (Yes, I know it was a joke—but when you’re in Ming’s position you don’t make such statements even in jest).

So what I was wondering was, if you were Lib Dem press chief what would you tell the party to go big on? Personally, I think they should be hitting Brown hard on Northern Rock. As Tim Montgomerie points out, Cameron is constrained in what he can say without being labelled an opportunist and a scare monger. But Vince Cable, who you can hardly accuse of being excitable, is in a good position to attack Brown. His personality insulates him against the kind of charges that Labour is desperately hurling at Cameron.