John Hemming, Lib Dem MP for Birmingham Yardley, is an unabashed iconoclast. The Independent this week sought to understand what makes him tick a little better. Inevitably there is some focus on his private life — most notoriously brought to public attention by his estranged wife’s stealing of a kitten from his girlfriend’s house — but also a lot of space given to his views on the UK care system and the economy. Here’s an excerpt:

Hemming is serious but funny, blithely overweight, and a stickler for detail. He sits surrounded by plenty of clutter, a frisky kitten and an inquisitive six-year-old.

He was the first Liberal Democrat to suggest a coalition with the Tories, helping to persuade party members. He doesn’t believe a coalition with Labour could have worked and is scathing about the last government’s economic policy. “Their financial strategy is complete rubbish. You couldn’t agree something when the financial strategy would take the country right off the cliff. If the country goes bust, it doesn’t matter what else you want to do, you can’t do it.”

For him, the best thing about being in the coalition is walking into the lobby with the Government, “so I can talk to ministers about things that are important”. …

Were the Liberal Democrats to be pulverised at the next election for their role in the Coalition and he to lose his seat, he says he hopes by then to have helped to change the care system. “It does more damage than good,” he says, “so if I can make some progress in sorting that out that would be positive, progress in making sure the courts work properly… and if I can protect some people from oppressive and unjust actions to imprison them in secret, then that’s a positive thing too. I need to achieve much more.”

You can read the article in full here.

* Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary in print, on air or online.