Wandsworth was the 80s flagship for radical Tory policies in local government, now Hammersmith has, like they did, some unusually high quality new councillors with big ambitions. After 30 years of Labour control, things can only get better. Expect it to be innovative.

Guido fell asleep on the sofa about half past one, but it seems that Sky got the better of the Beeb which suffered a powercut. Labour talking heads took advantage of technical difficulties when being asked tough questions. As Dimbleby interrogated a cornered David Blunkett, he made out his earpiece had failed, Dimbleby asked if he could hear him and Blunkett replied “No, I can’t hear you at all”.

Labour’s disaster was expected, the failure of the LibDems to make significant progress is a bit of a surprise, it will be a cause of great satisfaction in CCHQ and for the Cameroonies. It will be a great cause of excuse making in Cowley Street. The truth is the LibDems have got a lemon for a leader.

After their best result for a quarter century, the Tories are now favourite at the bookies to be the biggest party at the general election, but such are the quirks of the electoral system it will probably still require the support of the LibDems to form a government. Ideally from the Tory perspective the LibDems limp to the election, undermining the electoral support of Labour oop North and in Scotland. Then an Orange booker takes over the LibDems and sits in a Tory cabinet.

Of course Cameron could lead the greatest revival of a political party in modern history and form a True Blue government, but Guido isn’t betting on it.

The Guardian is doing live blogging, ConservativeHome are too, though currently they are focused on live optimism.

Seems 300 losses is the pivotal figure for Tony. More and he is in trouble, less and they will reshuffle and spin their way for another day.

Cameron’s Conservatives must get 200 gains or he is humiliated, 400 hundred and he is vindicated and “the project” is proven. In between is acceptable. Should be a good night for the LibDems as well.

Can’t find a LibDem or Labour live blogging session. The Guardian wil have to be a proxy for them. PoliticalBetting.Com seems quiet.

Guido will be live drinking and live posting on these three blogs, followed by live sleeping.

Michael White does not like being teased. In a very touchy separate “Footnote” to his column today:

Some of my warmer critics in the blogsphere assume I write this sort of stuff because I fancy Tony Blair or think he’s going to give me a peerage. Two points here. I steer clear of any intimacy with politicians, it’s not healthy. Blair and I wouldn’t choose to go on holiday together, we’d annoy each other. Personally I wish the little chap read more books and spent less time in the gym. He probably feels just the opposite about me. As for the peerage, they don’t give them to people like me, which is good because we don’t accept them. That said, conventional wisdom has written Blair off as a crook or has-been. The rightwing press, in tandem with the opposition-is-more-fun (and we get lower taxes) left, says so very loudly every day. So I take the opposite view. Of course he’s been a disappointment: that’s life. But he’s still a formidable operator.

Guido never suggested a peerage, merely a knighthood for his beyond-the-call-of-duty service in excuse making for politician’s excesses. Judge for yourself; Exhibit A is an atrocious bit of White-wash making excuses for the secret loans to Labour, and Exhibit B, wherein he swallowed the demonstrably ridiculous claim that Ms Beckett’s jetting to Derbyshire was not excessive because the 110 times she used the Queen’s Flight cost only £100,000. A blatant bit of bullshit spin from New Labour that an intelligent journalist like Sir Michael should not have been taken in by. In that same article he said “That doesn’t strike me as excessive, though I am open to correction.” It is not excessive, but it isn’t true either, as a National Audit Office report makes clear. So go on, correct yourself in another footnote.

Incidentally, the “Sir Michael” line was given to Guido by one of his own colleagues.