ALTER's President Chris Huhne, MP for Eastleigh since 2005 and the Liberal Democrats' Environment Spokesperson in Parliament, was first to declare himself as candidate to lead the Party following the resignation of Sir Menzies Campbell.
Chris has always been a stalwart supporter of Land Value Taxation. In 1990, as a financial journalist covering the fall of Soviet Russia, he came across the famous Open Letter to Gorbachev in which many of the world's leading economists urged the new Russian Leader to adopt LVT as part of its transformation to a free market economy. This renewed his interest in tax reform as a powerful instrument of progressive politics. Ever since, he has been among the pioneers of modern British fiscal thinking and public ally to Land Taxers from all parties.
He told me this when I first met him at his City offices in 1999, when he was Director of one of the leading firms of financial analysts and I ran the Henry George Foundation. Shortly afterwards he became an MEP. He gave up a safe seat as a European Parliamentarian making his name as Economic Rapporteur for the Liberal Group at Strasbourg to enter Westminster politics - the only place from which to have a crack at leading a UK political party.
He first came to the fore as a national figure in January 2006, when he surprised many outside the Lib Dems by standing as Leader to succeed Charles Kennedy. He came an impressive second then and although the bookies don't yet have him as favourite to succeed Sir Ming I believe he will be an outstanding Leader. The timing of this election is perfect for him and comes after he successfully steered a radical set of policies on Climate Change through the Party. With neither Simon Highes nor Charles Kennedy standing this time, he has a campaign team already well-oiled from last year and will know what his fellow contender Nick Clegg (also a former MEP) has to do to win.
As for which of the two is more 'left' or 'right', one of the joys of being a supporter of LVT is that you breaks out of the left-right paradigm. You can be both an Economic Liberal and a Social Liberal. You can cut taxes on enterprise, boost free trade and achieve economic justice and sustainable development all at the same time - only by the Green Tax Switch which Chris helped to invent!
ALTER does not know where Nick Clegg stands on LVT - but will be asking him.
Meanwhile Chris wrote the Foreword for my book Location Matters: Recycling Britain's Wealth published last month. I know many of ALTER's Executive Committee will join me in urging all ALTER members and supporters to help ensure he becomes the next Leader of the Liberal Democrats.
Party members can register their support for Chris' campaign at http://www.chris2win.org/