If the establishment had really been as efficiently conspiratorial as it was supposed to be, there would have been no need for his amateurish plot.
He made grotesque errors of taste and judgement – see “Rivers of Blood”. But even his critics admit that he was one of the great parliamentarians of the 20th century.
The shock over the overall result has distracted us from how remarkable some of each party’s gains really were.
A further graft from the remnants of Labour and the LibDems might be the best way of preserving the Union and providing an alternative government to the SNP.
The Fixed Terms Parliament Act just adds to the questions swirling around the forthcoming election.
Most produce results that are more or less what a reader of opinion polls and other electoral data might have anticipated a few months in advance.
The classic pattern of Government honeymoon, mid-term discontent and Government recovery happens less often than one might believe.
Events then hold some uncomfortable echoes of today’s politics. What, if anything, can we learn?