Farewell to the ideas morgue of party politics

IT'S NOW some four months since I left the Tory party under a dark cloud of my own making, and people are still kindly asking if I am all right. I'm touched, pleasantly surprised and grateful that so many friends have put my error to the side and shown concern that I don't do something stupid - like join the SNP. They needn't worry; I've never had the guts for suicide.

I am by nature an optimist, my glass is at least always half full (with another glass at the side) and I quickly decided that I should recognise that as one door had closed in my life it was for me to try all the others until I could find the ones th...