WELL it seems that the new LibDem leader Tim Farron has already made his mind up about the suitability of Alistair Carmichael for public office.

Never mind that a court of law has still to rule on an attempt by Carmichael’s own constituents to oust him. They feel voters were duped at the General Election when they went to the polls unaware that the former Secretary of State for Scotland had lied about the leaking of the so-called Frenchgate memo.

Never mind that a formal investigation into Carmichael’s behaviour by the Westminster standards watchdog has not yet given its opinion.

And just in case we were not quite able to grasp Farron’s breathtaking arrogance in ignoring all the complaints levelled at his only Scottish MP, the new Libdem leader decided to give Carmichael the home affairs portfolio, which includes justice issues.

The public might have expected the party to hold fire before kick-starting Carmichael’s journey back into the political fold. But Farron pressed ahead, and the public’s opinion of the LibDems slipped another few rungs of the ladder leading to oblivion.