The papers write a fair amount about the Lib Dems these days but not all of it is good but when we look at what the party has been praised for over the last year we can see that there are some things which come out as themes: We are providing good government, we are having a significant influence in government, there needs to be a liberal voice and our party is an effective one

Another year of following the papers looking for positive news stories about the Lib Dem ministers has produced more praise for Lib Dem ministers. So Vince Cable, Chris Huhne, Steve Webb and Danny Alexander get praise for their efforts.

Mainstream media praise Clegg over the last year for his skill, bravery in the positions he has taken and his principled stances relating to being a liberal

For the party to regroup and rebuild it will surely have to start with gaining some motivation.

Blair can teach us a lot about managing the media. I don’t believe in compromising principles for favours but I do believe we deserve a fairer hearing from the media than we are currently getting

Come 2015 the question will not be what have the Lib Dems achieved in government, it will be what will people have remembered they did in government and will this be enough to make people vote for the party?

Perhaps we need to think about our end game and the strategy we are running.

It is better to compare similar regional and local areas than it is to compare against the generalisations of the national picture.

Until the public think that we are addressing their concerns, or at least understand them, at a national level it won’t matter how well we campaign at local level, or how well we follow ALDC campaigning guidelines, people won’t vote for us.

Tge Lib Dem vote is still there it's just they are staying at home.