It hasn't been a great couple of weeks for the Liberal Democrats. After Charles Kennedy's messy departure, the undigified fall of Mark Oaten has made it difficult for more positive messages to get out.

Of course, there are no shortage of positive messages which could be reported. Even before nominations have officially closed, we've seen more policy debate - particularly about the environment and taxation - than David Cameron has managed in months as the Tory leader. The willingness to grapple with serious issues contrasts with the media's obsession with the froth and triviality of politics.

I'm no fan of conspiracy theories, so I have a hard time believing that there is some deliberate effort to keep the serious, positive news off the media agenda. Journalists need to write articles that will sell papers, and there's little that sells better than a sex scandal. It's inevitable, a fact of life. It's a little sad, a little disappointing, but the tabloid frenzy is unavoidable. Nor is it entirely unjustified; Mark Oaten did admit wrongdoing, and the press have a right to report it. We might not like the way it's done, but there's no point wasting our indignation on the News of the World. It won't change anything.

Liberal Democrats should not be afraid of negative tabloid headlines. In a way, it's a compliment; our politicians are at least considered newsworthy now. It hurts when the coverage is negative, but it also tells us that we have an opportunity to put positive messages out too. Whoever wins the leadership contest will have a considerable public profile and an opportunity to put the liberal case to the country. Furthermore, the battles being fought now, over ID cards, creeping authoritarianism and centralisation, are too important to be lost to triviality. Liberal Democrats need to remember that there is a very necessary role to be played in British politics and that no other party can or will play it.

For that reason, whoever wins the leadership election must have the full backing of every member of the party. There are solid building blocks for a liberal consensus in Britain, a consensus that would be far healthier for our society and democracy than the centralist authoritarianism of the last decade. It is a goal worth striving for, and in the long run that struggle matters more than some nasty tabloid headlines. It is my belief that people care more about their own lives than they do about the lives of politicians; they care more about the economy, the environment and society than they do about the sexual habits of private individuals. Hurtful though the recent coverage has been, it is shallow in its impact. The issues of real substance and depth will decide future elections, and it is on those issues which liberals must focus.