I compare the disastrous result in the Barnsley Central Bye Election and the wider disillusionment with the liberal Democrats  with what happened at the Willingdon/Wealden parish/district elections of 2007.  Due to a disciplinary issue a popular Parish/District/County Councillor who was a member of the local party, and by the way ethnic chinese,  had his membership withdrawn by the regional party.   Unlike the current situation we (the members of the party who knew) were banned from talking about the circumstances and reasons behind what happened.   The voters wanted to know what had happened, the councillor concerned hinted that we were capable of breaking his confidentiality.  We however knew that if we had broken his confidentiality and the party had not thrown us out of the party, that would be the end of the party.  If they had thrown us out this councillor would be able to portray what had happened was our fault resulting in him being let back into a compromised party or else he would have stood apart which perhaps might have been slightly better

The difference between the coalition situation and ours was of course that we can talk about the coalition and the difference lib dems have made.  The result of what happened at the District/Parish Elections in Willingdon in 2007 was that locally the Lib Dems were destroyed but nationally no-one noticed

 Andrew Rawnsley commented on tbe situation here http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/06/andrew-rawnsley-lib-dems-byelection?CMP=twt_gu