Normally, The Whoppers Come *After* The Writ's Dropped ...

But here's an exception.

I don't even want to get into pulling this one apart, because I'll go on for about 20 pages.

In other news, the Globe's got a brand-new, whiplash-inducing poll out. In response to same, here's some free advice, which will probably be ignored by all and sundry: stop obsessing over the damn polls.

Look, if you must give polls, good or bad, any thought, consider this:

The past few elections have shown that the Libs usually drop at least a few points over the course of an election campaign. Last time, the Tories went up, down and sideways over the course of 10 days. The point is, campaigns matter - whenever the writ's dropped, the important thing is to put out solid policies, and keep talking about them (along with a goodly dose of Grit-bashing). Pre-election polls make for good press, but that's about it.

Yes, poll-watching can be all sorts of fun. I'll admit to looking forward to the daily SES tracking poll, once the writ's dropped. And yes, if the polls show that you're going completely into the tank, you should probably adjust your message somewhat.

But the polls should be treated as one tool out of many. They should not be seen as the guiding light, nor are they always effective as crystal balls, especially at this stage.

As for Paul ... well, I'm not quite convinced that his dealings are done.

More later.