Prominent what? For Pete's sake

Yet another 'prominent' Lib Dem says Lib Dem MPs are going to defect. This 'prominent' character "chairs the Liberal Democrats' foreign affairs forum". I've never heard of the Lib Dem foreign affairs forum. Sadly I can't find out whether I should be embarrassed by my ignorance - the lead link when you Google (boo! hiss! shame! resign!) "Lib Dem foreign affairs forum" is James Graham.

So what makes you a 'prominent Lib Dem' then? Harold Elletson used to be a Tory MP but that makes him a 'prominent ex-Conservative' NOT a 'prominent Lib Dem'. I guess that blogging, an ex-SAO position and having co-written a booklet probably makes me a 'prominent Lib Dem' too. Or as my friend (a PPC at the last election in an unwinnable seat) wrote about Mr Graves being a 'prominent Lib Dem' - "Heck, that means me 'prominent'! BOW DOWN TO ME!". I'm assuming the criteria for being a downright irrelevant Lib Dem is being an armchair member - even delivering the occasional FOCUS round would make you "a lead activist in the last general election".

So I wonder - if I went to the Independent and told them that 10 MPs were seriously considering their position (the entire shadow front bench would be more fun but suggests collusion and thus too easy to prove as a lie. A few unnamed MPs semi-secretly soul-searching is much harder to disprove)... Would they run the story citing me as a 'prominent Lib Dem' despite the fact I know absolutely zilch... nada... zero... about the intentions of our parliamentary party?