IT was a pleasure to attend the launch of the Wiltshire No to AV campaign in Salisbury.

The LibDems demanded this referendum as part of their price for entering coalition government and believe it will give them more seats.

Mr Clegg insists it will be fairer, but how so?

All it will mean is that the leader of a small party is cast as king maker, gets to choose the PM and that government proceeds in accordance with policies drawn up after the general election.

The “Yes” campaign has begun to suggest AV will in some obscure way clean up politics.

But MPs’ expenses are surely now the most transparent, expensively audited and meticulously poured over of any group in the public sector.

It is risible to suggest AV will alter that, and to resort to doing so shows the case for changing the voting system is thin.

* The population is aging and people want more from health services.

So we need some serious money and cutting bureaucracy will help make ends meet. Hence NHS reforms going through parliament.

The left says just clobber bankers, conveniently forgetting its record in office.

It also conveniently forgets the central truth that even if we had not rescued banks too big to fail and even if the country had remained solvent subsequently we would still be left with escalating NHS costs.

These must be addressed if we are to provide health outcomes such as disease survival which match those of our continental neighbours.

It is simply not true to say the government is intent on “privatising” the NHS.

* I was pleased to have reassurances from William Hague during his statement on Monday that we would not be relying too heavily on the questionable insights and opinions of rats leaving Gaddafi’s sinking ship.

By all accounts, Musa Kusa is an unreliable witness.

This oily gent has some serious questions to answer, starting with PC Yvonne Fletcher and Pan Am flight 103.