The bloggers are all coming to the same point of view. We supported Kennedy in the recent past, even after the attacks began. But now we get it. He can’t continue.

Richard Allan, Will Howells, the people at Apollo, Jonathan Calder are amongst the many.

Although it pains me to say it, we’re starting to understand why it had to happen this way and not through the constitutional processes the party has. Why did no-one challenge Charles when he stood for re-election in June?Because he’d have won hands-down in any all-member ballot. It would have been a waste of money posting out the papers. Now we know that for a long time, our MPs have been keeping mum about legitimate concerns about Charles. How could they have let the rest of us know — the ones of us who get to vote for leaders of the party — without making the waves that have been made in the last few weeks? We all knew the innuendo about the drink problem. Did any of us think it was actually serious?

But any ambitious MPs have been paying a dangerous game. If Charles resigns under these circumstances, anyone who has been overtly attacking him will not fare well.

This leaves us agog. Who will stand in the election? Some people are postulating a care-taker Menzies leadership for a decent period. I don’t think that will clear the air. We need people to set out their stalls. A proper election will get a few more faces more widely known.

But we can’t be too hopeful. We can’t expect any contest of ours to give us as much bounce as the Tory campaign. But I don’t see why a swift leadership election should necessarily hurt our chances in the May council elections this year.