When a General Election is coming up, or at times of national crisis, anyone who is politically active and aware should check to see whether their chosen allegiance is still appropriate for them. Under our electoral system those who decide to switch their vote, in constituencies which have a sufficiently close balance of votes between the major parties, have a massively disproportionate effect on the outcome of the election. Warrington is just such a constituency.

I am very happy to see that I will not be switching my allegiance, I will be campaigning more strongly than ever for Warrington South to return  Jo Crotty as the Liberal Democrat MP for the constituency.

How can I be so confident? It is because Nick Clegg has published the principles that will underly the party’s election manifesto – Four Steps to a Fairer Britain. I urge everyone to read it, particularly if you voted for Helen Southworth, the somewhat ineffectual New Labour MP who has decided she has had enough of Parliament and has abandoned the seat. I think you will find the political realism and commitment to fairness you might have hoped the current government would deliver in Nick Clegg’s principles.

Labour have now chosen a candidate to fight the seat – a serious policy wonk called Nick Bent. Rather than choosing a local candidate they have chosen a Manchester and London based lifelong politico, who should at least make for an interesting election.