Congratulations, Tavish

Congratulations to Tavish Scott as he wins the Scottish Liberal Democrats' Leadership contest.

These are challenging times for the Party in many ways and it is important that we make more of an impact on the Scottish scene. The Labour Party are in meltdown and the SNP can't be trusted with our civil liberties. The Tories haven't quite made up their minds what they are for. Government is spending vast amounts of money interfering in people's lives where it's not necessary and not enough where it is. The country faces some really serious problems ahead - energy supply, credit crunch, housing to name but a few.

We need to be relevant, to connect with people and for our elected representatives at all levels and activists to work together to deliver a distinctive and positive Liberal message.

We had a race with 3 excellent candidates, all of whom had some very good ideas. The contest was fought with good humour - although, to be honest, there was a point when I wanted them to have a good scrap, just for fun - and generated a useful and positive discussion about the future direction of the Party. I am sure that Tavish will have listened to the concerns of members and activists and will take these on board as he leads us to even greater success.