Another day, another story. Just 24 hours after a "crunch" vote on whether to hold a referendum on the EU treaty, it seems Westminster has moved on and the perceived wisdom is that it is Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, who has come off worse.
One MP I spoke to, who is Clegg loyalist, insisted his party leader was right to "stick to his guns".
"He is showing strong leadership on an issue he feels passionately about," I was told.
I didn't manage to catch any of the rebels but a Tory MP questioned the wisdom of Clegg's decision to leave himself "dying in a ditch urging abstention" - three of Clegg's front bench team were forced to quit because they refused to heed his demand that they abstain from last night's vote.
Their actions will make the Liberal Democrat spring conference in Liverpool this weekend all the more interesting.
But those within the party will be mindful of the damage that has been done. While Clegg will undoubtedly overcome this setback, he can't afford to suffer too many more, not least because the party couldn't afford to lose yet another leader so soon.
Footnote: Jonathan Isaby makes in interesting comparison here of those who voted for both the Maastricht and the Lisbon treaty.
