Unity schmunity at the Liberal Democrats on Lady Scotland's predicament. Before the beleaguered attorney general's £5,000 fine for breaking the rules on employing illegal immigrants was announced, the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, was circumspect about her position, saying he wouldn't call for her to go before knowing all the facts.
Chris Huhne, the party's home affairs spokesman, said she should go, pointing out that the person who helped draw up the law can hardly be excused when she breaks it, unwittingly or otherwise.
Clegg's chief of staff, Danny Alexander, said there was no inconsistency between the two positions as both statements ostensibly said the minister should consider her position.
Speaking of confusion, we move to the party's position on scrapping tuition fees. The party top brass may wish to demote the flagship policy from a commitment to an aspiration, but the party faithful are not universally swayed.
Some delegates are spitting about it, fearing that the move will see them lose students' votes in droves.
Delegates at the party conference in Bournemouth are about to debate the party's statement of principles on which to base the election manifesto: "A Fresh Start for Britain, Choosing a Different, Better Future."
Delegates will be asked to back its contents but will also have an opportunity to say what they think has been missed out. They've already passed a motion calling for the abolition of tuition fees, and they're likely to stress it again with feeling today.
Clegg's balancing act is keeping the party buoyant in the eyes of delegates and with voters: an expensive policy and tough plans to make "savage cuts" needed to reduce the budget deficit. You do the maths.
