‘Fraid there are no Lib Dem panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

The panel includes Health Secretary Alan Johnson, shadow business, enterprise and regulatory reform secretary Alan Duncan, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for health and social services in the Welsh Assembly Helen Mary Jones, broadcaster and journalist Lauren Booth and businessman Simon Woodroffe.

So, if you want to sound-off as you watch, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Friction.TV has done an interview with David Howarth MP ahead of tomorrow’s debate in Parliament on his bill to introduce fixed term Parliaments. I won’t spoil the fun by telling you who the presenter is…

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Trouble brewing for Conservative MP Stephen O’Brien, who has been promoting Edward Timpson - Conservative candidate in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election - on his website. The problem? The website is paid for by the Parliamentary funds. And that’d be funds for which the rules expressly forbid such campaigning. Tsk tsk.

A formal complaint has now been lodged with the Director of Finance and Administration of the House of Commons by Gwyn Griffiths, one of the local Liberal Democrat councillors. The key part of his complaint says:

On his website Conservative MP Stephen O’Brien promotes Edward Timpson, the Conservative candidate for Crewe and Nantwich, Stephen Mosley, Conservative candidate for Chester and Graham Evans, Conservative candidate for Weaver Vale.

He also uses the site to promote the policies and advance the cause of the Conservative Party in breach of the explicit rules laid down by the House.

Paragraph Seven of the ‘Rules and guidance on Members’ Websites funded from the Communications Allowance’ clearly states that it must not be used to fund party political activity or campaigning.

7. You must not use your website:
to campaign on behalf of or against any person seeking election
to advance perspectives or arguments with the intention of promoting the interests of any person, political party or organisation you support, or damaging the interests of any other such person, party or organisation.

On his website, Mr O’Brien states that it is paid for out of his parliamentary allowances.

Please launch an investigation into Mr O’Brien’s use of his Incidental Expenses Provision and Communications Allowance to promote the Conservative Party and their candidates.

Meanwhile, happy news from Tim Farron MP, who has been out meeting farmers and getting a very warm response for Elizabeth Shenton:

After Paddy last week, it’s the turn of another former Liberal Democrat leader, Ming Campbell, to represent the party on the panel on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

The panel will also include the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (and future Labour leadership contender?) James Purnell, senior Conservative politician Lord Heseltine, “well-known television personality” (aka the smuggest man in the world) Piers Morgan and novelist and journalist Rachel Johnson.

If you’re watching, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Yesterday, Mark previewed Brian Paddick’s election broadcast. While that’s on air this evening in London, the rest of England and Wales will be treated to our election broadcast for the local elections taking place across the country.

Also focusing on crime, and our strong record on tackling crime in local government, this one is fronted by party leader Nick Clegg:

Update: A subtitled version is also available.

It’s being show on TV on Wednesday, but you can already watch it here:

Former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

The panel will also include the First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond, Conservative shadow chancellor George Osborne, Innovation, Universities and Skills secretary John Denham, and businesswoman Nicola Horlick.

If you’re watching, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.

One of the debates yesterday was about illegal abductions, otherwise known as the US kidnapping people around the world. You can read the text of the motion here, which called for a full independent inquiry into the UK’s involvement in the abductions.

And for other conference news, here is Lynne Featherstone’s Sunday morning diary:

Can’t get to conference, but in the mood for some Saturday night Lib Demmery? At the conference, and desperate to avoid the bar?

Then why not switch on the telly, and tune to the BBC Parliament channel at 9 pm tonight, Saturday 8th March, when you can watch A Marriage Made in Portsmouth, a documentary to mark 20 years since the Liberal/SDP merger. The programme combines archive footage of the merger process, as well as contemporary interviews with some of the key players, such as Lord Steel, Baroness Williams and Lord Maclennan.

It is broadcast Saturday night at 9pm on BBC Parliament, and is due to be repeated over the Easter period.

The latest party video is a brief chat from our leader Nick Clegg telling us about Liverpool and some of the issues facing us at conference.

Shortly after that, he headed into the rally, which as I write, is where I’m headed.

Shirley Williams, veteran Liberal Democrat peer, is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

The panel will also include the Cabinet Office Minister Ed Miliband, the shadow home secretary David Davis, the leader of the UK Independence Party Nigel Farage, and comedian and broadcaster Marcus Brigstocke.

If you’re watching, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.

PS: I’ll be on Question Time Extra (on BBC News 24 immediately after the main show finishes) alongside Tim Montgomerie… What do you mean, you’ll be tuning into BBC1’s This Week instead?

Nicol Stephen, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

He’ll be alongside the Deputy Scottish Labour leader Cathy Jamieson, the Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie, the Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon, and Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow George Galloway.

If you’re watching, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.

‘The cult of Cable’ - rather sweetly profiled by The Guardian’s Michael White yesterday - comes to tonight’s BBC Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

And what better week could there be for Vince to be a guest, with Labour having finally accepted the Lib Dem shadow Chancellor’s advice to nationalise Northern Rock to protect the interests of taxpayers, with the Tories left as utterly confused (and clueless) bystanders.

The QT panel will also include the Secretary of State for Transport Ruth Kelly, Conservative shadow secretary of state for business, enterprise and regulatory reform Alan Duncan, the secretary general of Unite Derek Simpson and the political editor of The Spectator Fraser Nelson.

So tune in tonight to watch the Cable masterclass, and feel free to sound-off in the comments thread.

Nick Clegg used his Political Slot on Channel 4 last night to discuss his opposition to the Government’s identity cards and database.

If you missed it, you can watch it right here via the Liberal Democrats’ YouTube account:

Okay, so there’s no Lib Dem on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT) … but I’m saying nothing more.

The panel will include Labour’s Minister of State for Housing Caroline Flint, the Conservative shadow minister for community cohesion Sayeeda Warsi, the Church of England’s first Bishop for urban life and faith, Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, writer and broadcaster Clive James, and the author, columnist for the Daily Mail, and all-round paranoiac, Melanie Phillips.

If you can bear to watch Melanie, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.

Playing around with various internet search tools for finding videos (verdict - none of them are that comprehensive) I found a few Nick Clegg pieces which haven’t previously been mentioned on this site and are worth a quick watch:

Nick Clegg on the BBC, talking about the party’s new mental health proposals.

Nick Clegg visits Islington, talking about green issues and the donations scandals (prior to Peter Hain’s resignation).

Nick Clegg on Sky News’s Sunday Live, talking about his vision for 2008 and his electoral ambitions for the party.

Nick Clegg addresses an NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations) breakfast meeting.

And finally, a slightly slow moving tale of the opening of a new patisserie.

P.S. If you missed Nick on Sunday’s BBC1 Politics Show you can watch the interview here or read the transcript here.

Julia Goldsworthy, the Lib Dem shadow secretary of state for communities and local government, is one of the panellists on tonight’s Question Time (broadcast on BBC1 and online from 10.35 pm GMT).

She’ll be alongside the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Andy Burnham, the Conservative shadow secretary of State for work and pensions Chris Grayling, the director of Liberty Shami Chakrabarti and entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne from BBC Two’s Dragons’ Den.

Damn the BBC… just days after I cynically queried whether Auntie would ever put up a liberal commentator alongside a Lib Dem MP they do precisely that. And not just any liberal commentator, but Shami, LDV’s Liberal Voice of the Year. Bah.

However, putting the often aggrieved feelings of Lib Dems at sometimes being excluded from QT to one side, LDV research to be published tomorrow will show there is a definite pro-Tory bias in the BBC’s choice of panellists. Click back tomorrow to see the stats.

Anyway, if you’re watching tonight’s show, and want to sound-off, please feel free to use the comments thread.