THE Liberal Democrats start their annual conference today in danger of becoming the forgotten party led by the forgettable man.

It is always hard for the third party to hog the mid-term headlines, but the Lib Dems have been sidelined by Gordon Brown taking over the Labour Party and David Cameron pulling the Conservative Party into directions it doesn't know if it wants to go.

Ironically, here in the North-East, the party is maintaining the headlines. It has led the opposition to the imposition of the unitary authority in County Durham, and in the Sedgefield by-election it claimed a creditable second place.

Elsewhere in the country, as both Labour and the Conservatives increase their popularity under their new leaders, the Lib Dems are slipping to 15 per cent in the polls. This suggests their tally of 63 MPs could be halved at least.

Part of the Lib Dems' problem is that they have an incoherent image. At the last election, they were known for their principled opposition to Iraq, for their attractive green tinge and for their local income tax.

Their unique stance on Iraq is fading as the issue now is how to extract our troops.

Their green clothes have been stolen by Mr Cameron who, in public perception at least, is seen as the most environmentally-aware politician.

And their local tax policy was notoriously hard for the then leader Charles Kennedy to explain at the last election, and is still messy as it appears now to be about hammering Middle England.

The other part of the Lib Dems' problem is their leader, Sir Menzies Campbell. It is ageist to keep talking about him being 66, but it is true that he lacks obvious dynamism and zest. Thoughtful and charming he may be, but he doesn't come across as exciting or inspirational.

The Lib Dems, though, are stuck with him. There are no immediate alternatives (although watch for Nick Clegg, who impressed during the Sedgefield campaign) and even if there were, only a party in crisis would change its leader twice in a single Parliament.

So this week the Lib Dems have to grab the headlines and remind us what they stand for and who their leader is.