A reasonable news day for the Lib Dems today.

David Cameron's pitch to the Lib Dems over the weekend has drawn a response in the form of stories in most papers - along with a leader column in The Independent ('Beware the siren voices of alliance')

The Telegraph uses its leader to preview tomorrow's leadership result and suggests that, should Clegg win, "three-party politics will resume in earnest." ('Liberal Democrats' big chance')

The Telegraph also sings the praises of Nicol Stephen, the Lib Dem leader north of the border in 'The redemption of Nicol Stephen'

Assuming that the party gets some coverage when the new leader is announced, the Lib Dems should see a rise in their opinion poll rating from, if nothing else, the amount of copy being written about them this week.

Is Cameron policy light or does is he quietly mapping out a policy revolution?

Steve Richards seems to think that the latter is the case. Writing in the Independent today he argues that 'It's not true that Cameron has no policies.  He has, and they are quite revolutionary'

Putting aside whether or not you can be 'quite' revolutionary, the substance of his article is very interesting.  By looking at a collection of Cameron's speeches over recent months he sees a pattern of themes emerging around decentralisation and co-operation.

Richards suggests the new policy platform would also have a direct impact on the kind of campaign Cameron would seek to run.

"it is possible that shadow cabinet members could enter the next election unable to pledge outcomes in specific policy areas, but instead promising to create circumstances where people will have the chance to take more control of their lives."

This would certainly make a marked contrast to the shopping-list pledges that have become common to all parties' manifestos since Labour's 1997 pledge card.

However, Richards isn't convinced it would be popular enough to win him a majority.  By setting out on this path, Cameron also opens himself up for the charge that he is policy light - as he will have no specific figures to throw back at Labour when they pledge x-million new nurses, bobbies and teaching assistants. And there is the trick of making it all work:

"Do parents, especially poorer parents, have the time to set up schools or co-operatives? Will local accountability of the police improve the service or make it worse? How can a government encourage the creation of local initiatives without pulling the strings, a move that would defeat the purpose?"

There of course many liberal resonances in what Richards suggests that Cameron is trying to do. In trying to found a Conservative Co-operative movement he recalls Paddy Ashdown's farewell speech to the Lib Dems in 1999. There he said that 'mutualism' based on a new working of the co-operative movement was a key way in which liberals could meet 21st century challenges.

Has Cameron now identified what Ashdown thought was crucial to "liberals, in the widest sense, in the years ahead"? And if he has, can he put flesh on the bones and deliver it?

Ed Balls has been busy previewing his plans for Primary Schools.  Compulsory foreign language lessons was widely trailed over the weekend.  The Times clearly received a more detailed briefing today. ('Tailored testing for pupils at primaries') which includes giving schools far more flexibility in deciding when individual pupils are ready to take national tests.

In her commentary Alexandra Frean sets these announcements in the context of the Government's approach to children in general ('Focus on the individual is not without problems')

With the Conservatives setting out their own plans and Lib Dem leadership candidates eager to express their views, it seems that education is creeping up the political agenda to a level it hasn't been since the early days of the Blair Government.

Also in today's news:

Courage and Coalition - Peter Preston in The Guardian asks Clegg and Huhne to commit political hara-kire by being more explicit their likely negotiation positions for coalition deals after the next General Election.

The next decade might just belong to the Lib Dems - Martin Kettle - The Guardian (actually appeared on Saturday 8th Dec)