I would like to place on record my heartfelt thanks to Charles Kennedy.

A life in politics is a hard and stressful slog and to be successful at the top, you have to be an automaton.

The problem with the Liberal Democrats is they attract human beings. Can you imagine the leader of the other two main parties admitting they were in anything but perfect and total control?

Not only are the Lib Dems a genuine force for good but they are a vital third dimension in the UK's political scene.

Charles Kennedy's resignation may be a setback but the party has strong principles and a sense of loyalty at its grass roots which occasionally strikes us down but never out.

-Frances Lindsay Hills, Brighton