The rules on ballot paper descriptions (6 “words”, and I don’t believe “UKIP” is a “word”) and emblems (only 3 per party) aren’t very helpful to self-proclaimed two party candidates. To help Nadine I have created an emblem for her: http://twitpic.com/cqwko6 – any suggestion of money growing on a tree is entirely unintentional.

`But why is Dorries even talking about the possibility of running on a joint Tory/UKIP ticket?,

The choice for the Tories is an electoral pact with the Lib Dems or an electoral pact with UKIP. If they stand against Lib Dems in once safe Lib Dem seats they’ll let labour in and lose a Coalition partner and if they don’t make a non-aggression pact with UKIP they will lose even more seats and let labour in. Trying to square the circle of keeping a virulently anti-Eu party at bay and a nominally pro-Eu party on side. Screwed.

Mary, you’re making the mistake of assuming that Dorries cares about her party as much as she cares about her parliamentary meal ticket.

The more people on the left bang on about Nadine Dorries, the more I fell like sticking up for her – even though she’s a bit mental.
Leave her alone for Pete’s sake. It’s obvious what she is.
(Some) people are tired of sophistry and spinning, and that’s why they’re turning to the simplistic views of people like Dorries and UKIP.

I have to agree with Damon. Dorries is a pretty insignificant character, I’m not sure why LC pays so much attention to her.

Because, Andrew, she is an absolute delight to read about.

Her combination of hard right ideology with venal incompetence makes her a perfect Aunt Sally.

The more Nadine the better, I say.

Of course there are going to be joint candidates of the Conservative and another party in 2015, Nadine. But that other party is not UKIP. It has always been inconceivable that Conservative candidates could be put up against members of the present Government. Such Ministers comprise a very high proportion of Lib Dem MPs.

“We’d never stand for it, blah blah blah.” Yes, you would. You know that you would. Everyone else knows that you would. You are the Tories. You do as you are told. That is what makes you the Tories. UKIP is turning out exactly the same way. Well, of course it is.

What’s that, you say? Look at last night’s “rebellion”? You can’t rebel on a free vote. The fact that there was one indicated that Cameron did not take the potential “rebels” with the slightest seriousness. Nor will he ever do so. And they won’t mind. They are the Tories. They do as they are told. That is what makes them the Tories.

Even the list of Labour’s few, but ostensibly real, rebels is interesting as a cross-section of the Parliamentary Labour Party, such as does not simply present itself by accident. When that happens, as it also did over House of Lords abolition, then it has at least partly been organised by the Whips in order to send signals in various directions.

The travails of the Conservative Party are good fun to watch. But they have absolutely nothing to do with serious politics. As distinct from a few individual members, the Conservative Party itself now has absolutely nothing to do with serious politics.

Next up, James Wharton’s Private Members’ Bill, his desperate attempt to hold on to Stockton South, which he was in any case bound to lose for reasons of which he and his party seem sincerely to be oblivious.

“But thy is Dorries even talking about the possibility of running on a joint Tory/UKIP ticket?”

Desperately seeking Nadine?

Nadine Dorries was a complete nomark until fuckwits like Unity started to talk about her. Her, her, her. Fuckwits like Unity incidentally created the alter-politics Dorries persona.

Dorries mattered to Tories because she was a target, and a few Tories felt the need to protect her. Political debate descended into defence or attack of Dorries, rather than sensible debate about the issues.

Today, Nadine Dorries has no value to the Conservative Party. If there is value, it is negative.

What is the story about deselection from the Hazel Grove constituency, circa 2000?

How on earth did she work with Oliver Letwin?

There must be a fantastic Dorries story somewhere. Something better is expected.

@ 4 Spot on. The key to UKIPs popularity is that they are, or cast themselves, as the complete opposite of the smoke-free, suit without a tie, perrier sipping metropolitan liberals that populate the Westminster village and are scarily seen by politicians as “ordinary people”. Get rid of the whole lot, the special advisors, the lobbyists, the consultants, the PR men, the pressure groups, the think tanks and all the other courtesans, sycophants and hangers on. Do that and you just might get back to representative democracy.