No one story caught the FreeThink bloggers' eyes this morning, but there is a smattering of interesting reading that pick up on various ongoing FreeThink themes.

Firstly, Lords reform.  It seems that enough of a consensus will form around the Government's White Paper.  The Independent quotes Norman Baker who feels that their lordships should not just go quietly, but also cheaply

"I don't see why they should pay redundancy. They didn't compensate the hereditaries when they went. Peers are officially paid nothing so I'm happy to give them three years' pay on that basis."

The next item we liked was in The FT. Lord David Owen, now a crossbencher, is quoted as being in favour of a younger generation should take charge of the party he refused to join. 'These youngsters are the party's future, he said, and "many of them are sensible people". Faint praise, indeed.' says the FT.  Especially as one criticism that you can't level at Ming is that has been too radical or silly.

Peter Riddell in The Times writes a commentary on the latest Populus opinion poll which shows that the north/south divide in the Conservatives appeal is still very stark.

Finally, and more seriously, Alice Miles in The Times writes a very sympathetic piece about Fiona Jones, the former MP for Newark who died earlier this week after succumbing to alcoholism.

"She was convicted of electoral fraud in March 1999 and stripped of her seat, before being acquitted on appeal and reinstated. The party hierarchy wasn’t too interested. New Labour was a successful election-winning machine, remember; it had no time for embarrassments or failures."

Alice Miles, The Times

Commentary over the next few months will have an 'end of the age' feelas Blair shuffles off his political coil.  Some will no doubt want to allegorise Fiona Jones' death in that light - spectacular gain in 97, ruined by the sleaze of electoral fraud and ending rather hideously without having acheived a great deal.

Poetic as this might be, it would be inaccurate. If you look at her whole career you see that bickering and splits followed her whereever she was active politically, including as a local councillor before she fought Newark.  The lessons Alice Miles draws are no doubt true up to a point.  But this rather ugly story shows that in order to survive today a politician needs the most adept people skills in order to build loyalty and friendship amongst people who otherwise will neither respect nor care for you.