Be very wary of jumping into bed with a party that promises to fight to remain in the EU but is happy to be in government with a regressive party. When should we progressives start openly trusting the Lib Dems again? Well if they can rule out forming another government with the Tories that would be a start.
Just a few minutes after the PM's speech yesterday, a triumphant Nigel Farage rightly congratulated himself for his effective takeover of the UK Government. Indeed Theresa May's address, aimed at appeasing the right wing tabloids, sounded like a UKIP conference speech. There can be no doubt it would have received a resounding and prolonged standing ovation there.
Instead of reeling off a list of arguments about why the voters deserve a chance to vote on whether the exact type of Brexit we're getting is the one they wanted, I am instead providing you with a warning, from a parallel universe...
The primary and obvious argument against lowering the voting age is that 16 year olds are simply not sufficiently mature, or knowledgeable enough about politics, to be able to make decisions that have substantial impact on the future of the country
Like many brands, most successful political narratives are the ones that are memorable - distinctive, tangible and succinct. Positivity is an optional extra. So is truth as of late. Here we look at the top 10 attempts to establish political brands in Britain in the 21st century. Share your own favourite with a quick poll at the end.
Boris Johnson won't last another six months as Foreign Secretary. There will be too many conflicts between himself and Theresa May and something will have to give. Mrs May isn't going anywhere, so it'll be Boris. Where he'll go though is anyone's guess...
So let us be careful about the use of words. Let us accept our differences and our disagreements. We are all motivated by what we believe is best for the people of Britain, whether we voted remain or leave. Time will tell. Assigning ulterior motives to people because they are foreign-born or of foreign origin is not fair, it is divisive and dangerous. It is not cricket.
Although the new Lib Dem MP Sarah Olney is also against a third runway, I believe the defeat of Zac Goldsmith will send a strong signal to both the Government and Heathrow Airport that the public opposition to it is much less solid than they had expected.
Before Zac took the seat, let's not forget that Susan Kramer and Jenny Tonge held the seat for the Lib Dems: there are thousands of Lib Dem voters in Richmond - the challenge will be getting the vote out today. So, don't be too surprised at either the prospect of a Lib Dem victory or its impact: reframing the narrative around Brexit.
The party's success in Witney surprised the Conservative Government, and showed the public that our fightback is well underway. An even stronger challenge in Richmond Park would shake the Government's resolve. It would be a huge victory for progressive, liberal values.
In a year where post-truth has come to dominate, we should take a step back, avoid self-inflicted damage, and do everything we possibly can to retain our membership of the single market. If not, this ugly truth will hurt for a very long time.
Membership, or not, of the EU shouldn't be seen as an end in itself, but rather as one of a number of potential tools to be used to help us achieve our ends. So we do our country no service by campaigning to reverse the decision. Instead we should seek and pursue alternative ways to achieve our policy objectives.
The idea of a progressive alliance between the Liberals and the Labour party would compound rather than erode the Conservatives lead. If the Liberals would enter an alliance it would likely haemorrhage their shy conservative support further into the hands of the Conservatives, as they will not want to vote for alliance that they will perceive to deliver a radical left wing approach to this country.
We live in dangerous times. And only the left, reunited and reinvigorated, with a clear plan on how it can genuinely improve the lives of those left behind by globalisation, can save us.
The British Prime Minister sat down to thunderous applause. One by one the members of the European Parliament stood in acclamation to show their appreciation of the words they had just heard. Nicolas Sarkozy came over with outstretched hand whilst Angela Merkel leant over and patted the PM on the shoulder.
It's time we put paid to the awkward and unnecessary debates about 'spoiler' candidates. The way to do that is to have a voting system where it's always OK for voters to vote for their party. That, surely, is not such a radical idea.