The election outcome

And so the election is over. I'll post my full thoughts soon. At the moment I'm still tired - the count here in Newham for both parliament and the council took a very long time and I didn't get home until late in the evening yesterday so I'm currently catching up on things including sleep.

I was one of the Conservative candidates for the Stratford & New Town ward on Newham council. We didn't win but instead came second. My thanks to my running mates, Peter Fox and Armyn Hennessy, both of whom are delightful gentlemen, as well as to all the other Conservative campaigners and candidates, particularly our agents Graham and Barbara Postles and Neil Pearce. Thanks also to our parliamentary candidates Virginia Morris (West Ham) and Paul Shea (East Ham) and our Mayoral candidate Maria Allen. I am sure we will hear more from all of them before long.

I'd also like to congratulate the victorious Labour candidates in Stratford & New Town, Richard Crawford, Charlene McClean and Terry Paul. Having met all three of them either during the campaign or the count I've found them to be good friendly people and I hope they give the ward good service for the next four years.

As for the overall national picture I'll post again soon. All I will say now is that the news from the markets is seriously scary.

Virginia Morris for West Ham

Two days ago I attended a parliamentary selection meeting for the first time ever. (In the past a combination of moving between home and university, sitting MPs and various timings has meant that the opportunity has not previously arisen.) But on Sunday the West Ham Conservative Association held its meeting to select its prospective parliamentary candidate and the full meeting heard from three impressive candidates before selecting. And I believe we have made an excellent choice.

The Association has selected Virginia Morris as its candidate. I can do no better to introduce her than repeat the words of ConservativeHome: Virginia Morris adopted for West Ham:

Virginia is married with a daughter and has been a Councillor for Richmond upon Thames since 2002, holding the portfolio of Shadow Cabinet Member for Civic Pride and Planning. Previously she stood for parliament for Oxford East in 2005. She holds a PhD in engineering becoming a partner and later a director of one of the leading consultancies specialising in environmental engineering, building design and consultancy services, winning the Queens Award for Enterprise in 2004. She changed careers after spending two years living in Lao PDR, the first working for the United Nations Development Programme and the second walking hundreds of miles in remote areas undertaking research. From this work she has written two books on the Vietnam War.

She said on her selection:

"I am proud to have been selected as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for West Ham. The constituency and Newham Council have been run for too long by Labour and I am looking forward to working with the Conservatives here to oust them."

The next general election, whenever it comes, is going to heat up here in West Ham.