“Politician” has become a dirty word. It’s an insult some people use, tarring anyone who stands for elected office with the same brush. It paints the picture of a suit, an expenses account and an inability to speak like a human being.

But the truth is that we are all politicians. That’s what it is to be human: to a greater or lesser extent, we all involve ourselves with what goes on around us. At some point, we’ve all thought: “I could do a better job than that”. Well, I know that’s what motivated me to get involved in politics back in the dark days of 1992.

Becoming an MP, however, can be a different thing. Under the current electoral system, if you’re a Labour or Conservative politician, you can find yourself a (relatively) “safe seat”, provided you say the right things to the right people. It’s easy to become, or simply to remain, out of touch – and effectively untouchable.

I think I can safely say that most Liberal Democrats start life as human beings, human beings who go on to develop a wide range of skills and experiences. What we have in common is the determination to change things so they work better and make life fairer. And when we’re on the doorstep, in the cold and damp, smiling through the rain, don’t doubt that we take what we do seriously. If we happen to crack the odd joke in between policy discussions, it might just be a reminder that somewhere, hiding beneath the politician, there is a human being.