Rather than the 'celebration' we were promised, the Liberal Democrat Party Conference was another missed opportunity to make the argument for the few liberal policies they still profess.

The only debate which achieved widespread coverage was the rejection of the most mild Eurosceptic motion imaginable on the grounds that it would be a betrayal of principle.

We in the Liberal Party wonder what liberal principles demand blind, undiluted Euro-enthusiasm.

Certainly not the liberal commitment to free trade. The recent trade spat with China, during which clothing piled up at our ports, is further proof that EU trade policies are nothing more than protectionism writ large.

Nor is it a commitment to democracy. The political machinery of the EU is wholly undemocratic, with unelected commissioners and bankers holding sway. Brussels is rife with levels of patronage and corruption not seen in this country since before the Great Reform Act.

It cannot be a commitment to freedom. Legislation dictated in Brussels has lead to traders being criminalised for selling goods in pounds and ounces.

The LibDems appear to be caught in a paradox whereby they relentlessly seek power in order to surrender it to Brussels as soon as possible.

In his keynote speech Charles Kennedy invoked the spirit of Herbert Asquith in support of his faltering leadership. He would do well to follow the exhortation of Mr Asquith: "If you care either for free trade, which has made our country prosperous, or popular government, which has made it free, now is the time to assert your devotion".

We in the Liberal Party remain committed to both: at the end of a lacklustre week for the LibDems we still wonder where they stand on these issues.

Daniel Wood, chair of the policy committee, The Liberal Party