It will come as no surprise to anyone who's been at a Liberal Democrat Glee Club or said the words 'Liberal Democrats' to anyone in the Labour Party over the past few years that the general reaction to Jamie Reed's proposal that Labour and the Liberal Democrats merge has been a resounding 'no' from both sides. It's the sort of idea that people should dismiss as a non-starter, but because it was apparently seriously considered by both Paddy Ashdown and Tony Blair in the 90s, it's acquired a veneer of respectability and possibility that it doesn't really deserve.