Mary Reid

Our three local MPs have ruled themselves out of the contest for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats.

Ed Davey's wife Emily is expecting their first child next month so I wasn't surprised to hear from them yesterday that he probably wouldn't be standing. Susan Kramer would have been a welcome female contender, but she has decided not to run, and Vince Cable fears he will suffer the same appalling agism from the press as Ming received.

The expected contenders are listed here. 

With the locals out of the running, I will be supporting Steve Webb, if he decides to stand. He comes from the same philosophical roots as me - sometimes described as being on the left of the party, which really means committed to grassroots democracy and social liberalism. I designed his website, and have been very impressed with the way he communicates with his constituents through email, texting, blogging and Facebook.