A Lab Lib deal - not a pact, mind you, and not a coalition - but it would have been a step, perhaps, towards changing the face of British politics. Well, it is not to be and, inevitably perhaps, its failure has resulted in public recriminations. The gains to Gordon Brown of having Paddy Ashdown in his Cabinet are clear - he would be a living rebuke to those who say that Brown is tribal and embodies the old politics. The gains to the Lib Dems less so. Yes, they'd have a taste of power in Westminster. Yes, they'd be a step closer to the co-operative politics they advocate. But they'd have no control over the government's agenda and yet could so easily have been blamed for what the government did or didn't do. So, it is over - for now. But given the prospect of the closest election in a couple of decades expect someone to try to write a tale of two parties again
The chronology (so far) of the Lib Lab deal that never happened. I await extra details with interest.
• MONDAY LUNCHTIME:
Ming Campbell is invited to meet Gordon Brown. Brown makes a surprise offer of junior ministerial jobs for a handful of Lib Dem peers - thought to include Lord Ashdown, Lord Lester, Baroness Neuberger and Lord Carlile. Ming says that he needs to think about it. Another meeting is planned for the following day
• MONDAY AFTERNOON:
Ming discuses the offer with his Chief of Staff Ed Davey and his friend and fixer Lord (Archie) Kirkwood. They say that they decided to turn down the offer. They agree that Kirkwood will act as Lib Dem point man liaising with Gordon Brown's friend, and likely successor as Chancellor, Alastair Darling.
Later Paddy Ashdown finds a pink note in his House of Lords message box inviting him to call Gordon Brown's office to fix a meeting. This is fixed for Wednesday. Ashdown sees his party leader to discuss. They agree that Ashdown should not take a ministerial job but should go ahead and see Brown in case he has another offer to make
• TUESDAY:
The second Ming/Gordon meeting is cancelled due to diary pressures.
• WEDNESDAY MORNING:
The Guardian splash on a report that the Lib Dems will be offered Cabinet posts. The report is written mysteriously by a "staff reporter" thus hiding the identity of the journalist given the story and masking its possible source. All sides vehemently deny that they were behind it.
The paper speculates that two MPs - Nick Clegg and Vince Cable may be invited to join the Cabinet. Clegg and Cable are taken by complete surprise having known nothing about Brown's offer to their leader. Faced by a furious reaction from within his own party Ming Campbell tells the 大象传媒 that no Lib Dem will serve in a Brown government.
• WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON:
Paddy Ashdown has his planned meeting with Gordon Brown at which he is offered the post of Northern Ireland Secretary. He tells Brown that as an old soldier he always follows the orders of his commanding officer. He adds that even if Ming Campbell had thought it a good idea, he did not.
• THURSDAY:
The 大象传媒 reveal the offer of a Cabinet job to Ashdown. Recriminations begin. Any prospect of a deal is off.
When Gordon Brown declared that he wanted to lead a government of all the talents few guessed that he meant to include the former leader of a rival political party in his first Cabinet.
That though is precisely the offer which was made to Paddy - now Lord - Ashdown by the man who'll be prime minister in less than a week's time. The offer was made yesterday without the knowledge of Sir Menzies Campbell and after the Lib Dem leader had publicly declared that no member of his party would serve in a Brown government.
Lord Ashdown has told the 大象传媒 that after a direct and personal approach by Mr Brown yesterday he made it clear that: "I could not conceivably consider such a position unless my leader told me that he thought it was a good idea." In any event Lord Ashdown adds that he didn't think it was a good idea.
This offer comes a day after the news emerged of a meeting Sir Menzies had with Mr Brown on Monday at which it was suggested that there could be junior - not Cabinet - posts for Lord Ashdown and a number of other Lib Dem peers - thought to include Baroness Neuberger and Lord Lester.
It is not known what Cabinet post Gordon Brown had in mind for Paddy Ashdown. What is clear though is that an audacious and high stake political gambit has, in the end, come to nothing.
UPDATE 0841BST The job was Northern Ireland secretary. Team Ming had been talking to Team Brown for some time with Archie Kirkwood and Alastair Darling in the lead. A Lib Dem source close to the negotiations says that many in his party now regard Brown's approach as either duplicitous or inept. This is met with the insistence that there was a serious attempt to break out of tribal politics
