THE MOST DELIGHTFUL section of this thoughtful and engaging book concerns an interview with Charles Kennedy.

John Harris, a disillusioned former Labour voter, goes to meet the Liberal Democrat leader to help him make up his mind on who to vote for.

He disposes of the polite convention that reporters remove embarrassing 'umms' and 'errs', and leaves the prevaricating Kennedy sounding

as if he's more chump class than Cabinet class, let alone No 10 potential.

That gem aside, Harris straightforwardly tells the story of how some of its biggest fans fell out of love with Labour.

Many were happy enough in 1997 when New Labour was winning.

But confronted with the Iraq war, tuition fees, and the increasing role of private companies in public services, among other policies, they're facing a dilemma at the next election.

We're all going to be in the voting booth at the same time as Harris, and so even without sharing his beliefs, you could do a lot worse than availing yourself of a copy of his book.

So Now Who Do We Vote For? by John Harris is published by Faber and Faber, priced £7.99.