The final Parliamentary update [Warning: epic post. Only read with tea handy]

The last time I blogged was the 23rd September. This was immediately after I received a message telling me that I had been unsuccessful in making it onto the shortlist for Macclesfield.

I was a little upset, but I was mentally prepared for this outcome. Obviously it wasn't what I wanted, but I knew that the panel could find many reasons not to shortlist me and simultaneously many reasons to shortlist others. Therefore I knew I should plan for rejection.

I had not intended to stop updating the blog for a while, but as the exact circumstances of the selection process became clear in the hours after I wrote that post I realised that I would need time to understand everything that had happened and decide how I felt about it all.

You will undoubtedly know the story by now. It has been covered by the Macc Express, Canalside, BBC North West, The Politics Show, The Times, The Telegraph, Radio 4 and I'm sure there are others. This has come about because one person has spoken out - and well done to him for having the courage to do so.

If you don't know...I'm sure I can mention it as it's all over the press. The story runs that I was unsuccessful because of the extent of my local involvement, and specifically this article from the 26th August.*

So that was the end of that. It seems some even more interesting things happened after that, but whilst they are disturbing I don't consider them directly part of my story.

It's been a very interesting couple of weeks. I've learnt a lot about the party that I support, I've learnt a lot about the individual local members of that party, and I've learnt a lot about what I believe is right and wrong. I've learnt that some people value getting a result more than playing fair - which in my view just isn't cricket.

Most of you probably don't care too much, but I want to say this: the hard decisions are often the right ones, and whilst people will try and make you feel guilty for doing what you think is right, a good moral yardstick is asking yourself what your grandparents would have made of it all. I'm pretty sure I know what they'd have made of all of this.

It's now time to move on. Last Saturday, the open primary was held - although rather confusingly it was closed to the press. As far as I'm aware, the successful candidate has had nothing to do with any of the process and shouldn't be punished for the errors of others. I wish him the best of luck.

I have no intentions to seek a seat elsewhere, but I intend to remain as a Councillor for as long as I possibly can. This does mean that my focus will have to change slightly. I'd neglected work over the summer in order to make sure I was 100% on top of everything Macclesfield. I'll have to throttle back a bit as I need to make up for the work I missed. After all, the mortgage still needs to be paid and the dog still needs to eat.

Thanks go to everyone that's written to me voicing support, which has come from some very surprising places. I really appreciate it and I will be responding to you all individually just as soon as I can find enough hours in the day.

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* My understanding is that I have not done anything wrong, nor is it considered that I broke any rules. In the article there are some comments where I talk about local candidates. Just for the record, not that it matters, I gave those comments in the context of a discussion about the Totnes local primary which had just happened (it was an all-local shortlist), with the knowledge that there were up to 5 local Councillors and 2 local non-members that had expressed an interest in confidence to me in applying, and at a time when I didn't think I would be applying myself because I hadn't passed the required assessment and there was just over two weeks left before the Macclesfield deadline.