There's no doubt the Conservatives at County Hall feel they are going to tighten their grip on power come June 4, when the election is held.

Privately, I've been told by a number of Conservatives that they expect to win about 70 of the 84 seats up for grabs, which if accurate, would mean a rout and leave Labour and the Liberal Democrats as pretty much an opposition rump.

The Conservatives are certainly feeling quietly confident and upbeat, judging by the mood at their manifesto launch at County Hall today. Interestingly, there is some anxiety about whether having a runaway victory could actually prove problematic for the party in the long run.

It sounds rather odd but some Conservatives are actually a bit concerned, saying that it is not necessarily good for democracy and the checks and balances in the system to have one party so dominant.

They are probably right and one of the drawbacks of the cabinet system - introduced by the Labour government - is its potential to sideline backbenchers and isolate them from the decision-making process.

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Meanwhile, the irrepressible UKIP leader Nigel Farage has been in Maidstone to launch his party's European election

campaign.

He dutifully posed for a picture under a huge advertising hoarding bearing the iconic image of Winston Churchill but declined our invitation to give the famous "V" sign as he did so.

Whatever you think about UKIP, I have never met anyone who doesn't think that Nigel punches above his weight when it comes to politics. He is a natural politician who is media savvy and a shrewd operator.

His message to Conservatives to "lend" UKIP their vote on June 4 is a typically canny ploy. Whether it will work however, remains to be seen.