I was, I admit, slightly surprised by the response of some Conservatives to scrutiny over the “Paterson affair”. Nadhim Zahawi first admitted live on television that he hadn’t read the Standards Committee report before, then upon it being pointed out to him that he’d voted to reject it anyway, then stated that he had “looked at it”, whatever that means. Meanwhile, Alex Chalk, the MP for Cheltenham, sent an e-mail stating that Owen Paterson was wrong to lobby ministers on behalf of companies employing him, that it was wrong to conflate his case with the question of amending the disciplinary system for MPs, and that it was wrong to impose a three-line whip for the vote. What he didn’t mention was that he voted as ordered.

One might begin to wonder if Conservatives have gained the view that it really doesn’t matter what they say or do any more, given that the pollsters still show them leading regardless.

But the hare is running in North Shropshire now. Is it winnable for the Liberal Democrats? Well, we’ll never know if we don’t try, and you wouldn’t envy the Conservative candidate – are they loyal to Owen Paterson, or do they condemn him?

On this day in 1620, the Battle of White Mountain took place outside Prague. The Catholics won this, one of the earlier battles in what became the Thirty Years War. Apparently, Hermann Rorschach was born on this day in 1884. One wonders what he would have made of the Cabinet… And, on this day in history, a number of US Presidents were elected, some good – Franklyn Delano Roosevelt in 1932 and John F. Kennedy in 1960 – some not so good – Donald Trump in 2016.

We’ve got a packed schedule today. David Brunnen writes on Conservatives threats to the environment, democratic and actual, whilst Michal Siewniak has had his spirits lifted by UK Parliament Week.

The noble Lord Wallace of Saltaire has some typically erudite thoughts on Conservative efforts to corrupt our democracy and remove the guard rails that protect us from the risk of a one party state, and our friends in the Liberator Collective have a new issue to amuse, inform and challenge readers old and new.

So, time to get the ball rolling, I think, and welcome to another day of drama and surprise…

* Mark Valladares is the Monday Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice. He now knows the words to “Baby Shark”. Do, do, dee do-di-do.