Tory troubles

Just a couple of thoughts from The Guardian:

In Leicester, if not in Birmingham, the party fought to win. Activists and MPs were shipped up the M1, thrown onto the streets and revived with iced Pimms on the journey home - yet voters shrugged and looked elsewhere. The outcome is all the worse given that there were no Ukip candidates and that in both seats the Conservatives once won a victory, started in a solid second place and in 1992 secured the backing of more than one in three voters.

And I wonder who the anonymous frontbencher in this article might be?

Optimists said it might have been worse. "If we had not campaigned so hard we would probably have come fourth to [George Galloway's] Respect in Leicester South and that really would have been a disaster," one frontbencher said.

It certainly could be an interesting General Election if UKIP and Respect live up to their promises of standing in every seat.