Ming's leadership enters the endgame

In one of the most public blows yet for what Ming Campbell calls his leadership, Liberal Democrat Welsh Assembly Member Peter Black has spoken out, "Time for Ming to shape up". He has had the courage to say publicly what everyone has been admitting for ages - under Campbell the Lib Dems are going nowhere:

The debate will, of course be critical but so too will Ming's performance at the Conference. We need to get some bounce in the polls out of that week in Brighton. When Simon Hughes said that Ming had until the end of the Conference season to prove himself he was absolutely right. So far the only people who appear to be totally content with the leader are the MPs. They have to realise that, important as they are, they are not the Party. Having experienced a coup de grace at the top, we are entitled to expect results. It is now time for Ming Campbell to start delivering on his promises and the expectations of success that are associated with him.

Peter Black has been the first to go public and already the storm is generating headlines and he won't be the last. Campbell's leadership will not be able to sustain a stream of public criticism and he has two choices - step down with grace or hang about and get slowly dragged out of the leadership bit by bit. Truly things have got worse.