Martyrdom awaits for the man from Montgomery

With the result of the selection for a Liberal Democrat Mayoral candidate for London now announced, it now becomes clear that one of the candidates appears to have concluded that we're all out to get him, that the Party will one day realise how lucky we are to have him, and that, like Nelson Mandela, he must suffer years in the wilderness.

Call me cruel, call me heartless, but...

Lembit, we're not out to get you, really we aren't. Some of us don't think you're serious, many of us prefer someone else, most of us acknowledge that you have talents but don't see being our Mayoral candidate as the most obvious thing for you to do.

For the second time in three years, you've run an awful, half-hearted, unoriginal campaign based entirely on the premise that because people know who you are, you're the best person for members to select. Name recognition isn't the be all and end all of it - Katie Price has fantastic name recognition and she wouldn't be my first choice either.

We want our candidate to be competent, and that doesn't mean boring. What it does mean is having someone who gives the impression that he understands the issues, can take part in a campaign without making our members uncomfortable and can demonstrate the ability to lead and inspire a campaign team.

Which brings me to your campaign team. The fact that no credible member of the Regional Party in London was willing to put their head over the parapet in support spoke volumes. The person purporting to be your campaign manager repeatedly blamed the loss of Montgomery on your friend and supporter to the point where you publicly disowned his claim - a pity that it was in your manifesto, a document which you claimed not to have read or authorised in advance.

Alright, I've been pretty straight with you. So, here's some advice...

1. Decide what you'd like to be. If the answer is 'celebrity', give up on a career in politics, at least as a Liberal Democrat. When Charles Kennedy did the game show circuit (and note, not the reality TV circuit), he behaved in a dignified manner, and people took to him. They may not have agreed with him, but they liked him well enough. I wasn't wild about Brian Paddick's appearance on 'I'm a Celebrity...', but at least he emerged with his dignity intact.
2. If the answer is 'politician', give some serious thought to what you want to do. Talk to someone other than your friends, who so far haven't necessarily been able to tell you what you needed to hear. Then focus on it. This won't be easy. As the two elections have demonstrated, it's not just the leadership who have lost faith, the ordinary members have too.
3. Give up on the martyr stuff. If the leadership were so determined to 'get' you, they've done a pretty shoddy job of it so far. An effective campaign married to credibility has been enough. Too many people roll their eyes when presented with the prospect of having you represent them, and until that changes, you aren't a martyr, you're simply not what members are looking for.
4. Don't run to the media telling tales about people being mean to you. It demeans you as a person and as a politician.

It was not so long ago that you were a bit of a hero to many in the Party. Eccentric, maybe, but a hard worker, a genuine personality capable of inspiring members, activists and candidates up and down the country, and a senior figure at the highest echelons of the Party. You could be that again if you want it badly enough. Don't allow your reputation to be tarnished to the point where people forget what is good about you and only remember that you dated that Cheeky Girl...