Exciting times and Liberal Democrats aren’t phrases you normally see in the same sentence. But little is normal in politics’ centre ground these days. As Lembit Opik said in the wake of Charles Kennedy’s resignation: ‘We are the nice party. Yet MPs were in effect stabbing their leader in the back.’

Now the race to find a new leader is on. And as TS was going to press, an unfamiliar hat was thrown into the ring ­ that of Mark Oaten, who despite being the party’s home affairs spokesman is little known outside of the Westminster village.

TS remembers Mark when he was but a humble public relations consultant, working for Westminster Communications in the early 1990s plugging, of all things, the Audit Commission and CIPFA.

TS’ memory is sketchy these days so anyone who remembers Mark’s accountancy stint, do get in touch.