Greetings from Maine, where your Day Editor is recovering from the excitement of watching an England football team actually go all the way. Congratulations to the Lionesses, who’ve brought a bit of joy into our lives at a time when joy isn’t available in abundance. Made us sweat a little though…

Meanwhile, the other big final grinds on, with Rishi Sunak making ever more unlikely promises and Liz Truss attracting key supporters. You’d think that it looks increasingly good for the latter but there’s always the question of whose team is better organised and able to reach ordinary Conservative members more effectively. But given that key media appear to have opted for Truss, I’d expect a few “knocking stories” against Sunak to appear this week, just in time for ballots to hit doorsteps.

I know that at least one reader has wondered why we’ve spent some time looking back to Liz Truss’s Liberal Democrat past. From my perspective, it’s because it offers a glimpse into her backstory and, in some cases, because it’s rather funny. And Liberal Democrats don’t always do dull respectfulness – authority figures are there to be challenged through humour and satire.

But, whilst politicians do develop as they get older, do their basic instincts change much? And the answer to that question offers clues as to how she might respond to events and situations going forward. If what she purports to believe isn’t popular with the electorate, what does she do next? Can she inspire, persuade, convince?

Here in the US, the talk is of Democrats picking themselves up off of the polling floor as Republicans possibly overreach. Depending on your pollster of choice, up to 85% of Americans believe that abortion should be available, albeit with some limitations. Indeed, historic polling suggests that the proportion opposed to abortion under any circumstances has fallen steadily over fifty years. That doesn’t suggest that overturning Roe v Wade is a vote winner, potentially the opposite. And that’s important because what happens in American politics has an alarming habit of coming to our shores sooner rather than later.

At home, Keir Starmer’s cautious stance on Brexit opens up more opportunities for a political party which is overtly internationalist in tone, i.e. the Liberal Democrats. It’s almost as though Labour’s strategy is to avoid annoying anyone.

If you are convinced by the polling evidence of buyer’s regret over Brexit, then having the confidence to talk about what might be done to improve matters and why offers a connection to those who might want to register their unhappiness. Such people weren’t really there in 2017 or, indeed, 2019, but they’re evidently there now. The $64,000 question is, can they see the Liberal Democrats as a credible choice? The answer, it increasingly seems, is “yes”. And, against a Truss-led Conservative Party which can’t admit to any difficulties stemming from Brexit, and is increasingly vulnerable to tactical voting, the opportunities look promising.

And, with that, it’s time to return to my grandparenting duties, so I hope that you have an enjoyable week, don’t waste too much water and keep cool.

* Mark Valladares is the Monday Day Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice.