Ed Davey, the Lib Dems and 1 questions party must now answer

There is no doubt that Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, is a well-meaning chap, but since gaining a record 72 MPs in the general election the question remains: what is the point of the Liberal Democrats? Are they simply a depositary for hacked-off voters who wish to punish Labour and the Conservatives or are they shaping up to be a force with a clear and defined political purpose? Given the last year or so, it feels like Sir Ed and his MPs are stuck in a rut.

Credit should be given for an electoral campaign that saw Ed happily act the goat and take part in stunts to achieve cut-through and coverage in the UK media. From launching his campaign at Thorpe Park Resort and taking a turn on the horrific 'Rush' ride to bungee jumping and paddleboarding in Lake Windermere - his advisers clearly knew that such antics and their associated pictures would be used in the media and consequently would boost his profile.

And away from the slapstick, his party election broadcast showing life as a carer for both his disabled son and terminally ill late mother was rightly praised and showed the human side of politics. The Liberal Democrats ran a good campaign but also clearly benefited from the last few years of chaos under the Conservative government.

They grabbed a historic number of seats, many of which were nabbed off the Tories in the south-east and south-west of England. Some of my closest friends voted for the Liberal Democrats in the general election as they were sick and tired of the Conservatives and wanted to make a point at the ballot box.

Many of them are now experiencing buyer's remorse as they realise that not only did they assist in returning a Labour government with a stonking majority that appears hellbent on wrecking the country, but also that they are not entirely sure what they voted for.

Tactical voting also had a part to play with an election that saw websites spring up telling you how best to influence the result you want in your constituency.

I live in Chichester, West Sussex, which had, for around 100 years, staunchly returned a Conservative MP. The late stargazer Sir Patrick Moore who lived in the constituency once commented that you could put a blue rosette on a donkey in Chichester and people would still vote for it.

He would then complete his anecdote by saying that the donkey would do a better job. Sir Patrick rightly had a healthy disrespect for most politicians.

Last year the Tories lost Chichester to the Liberal Democrats with a vote swing of over 30% which was remarkable. Gillian Keegan, the sitting Conservative MP and education secretary, was ousted by Jess Brown-Fuller who was a local Liberal Democrat councillor.

I have met Jess a couple of times and she is decent and diligent and an asset to her party when it comes to appearing in the media. Locally, I suspect political reality with soon bite for her as she will be forced to pick a side when it comes to the increased and unreasonable levels of housing development in her constituency.

Last year I attended the Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton which was a moment of celebration for the party.

Aside from the wince-inducing sight of dozens of new MPs busting their moves on the stage behind their leader who was dancing to ABBA and the Bee Gees, I was struck by how bewildered the new MPs seemed when I talked to them one-on-one.

Being sympathetic, you might say that they were still adjusting to the life changing role of becoming an MP as their conference took place only several weeks after the general election. Or perhaps they did not think they would get elected.

The last few months have seen Ed have a pop at the BBC for not properly holding Nigel Farage to account and to announce that he will be boycotting the state banquet being held for Donald Trump because he is not putting enough pressure on Israel over Gaza.

Such pronouncements carry a distinct whiff of petty student politics. Next week the Liberal Democrats will hold their annual conference in Bournemouth, and it is an opportunity for the party to properly define themselves to the electorate.

Against a backdrop of other lefty parties such as the Green Party with its new robust leader Zack Polanski and Jeremy Corbyn's new political offering, Sir Ed needs to deliver a barnstormer of a speech. Failure to do so will leave his voters wondering why last year they wasted their vote.