The outcome of the 2010 election in Tatton was never in doubt: for so long as all the major parties field a candidate, Tatton is one of the safest Conservative seats in the United Kingdom.
Nevertheless, I am very happy to have contested the seat, inspired by the 2,243 constituents who dedicated their only vote to me on 6 May 2010 and the unshakable team of organisers and supporters who made my candidature possible. To each and every one of you, I extend my humble and heartfelt thanks.
The challenges confronting Tatton and the Nation are only going to grow. Following the 2010 election, I am all the more persuaded that Tatton would be best served by a non-party-political MP not obliged to hammer national policy pegs into local holes. The reason that I stood for election at all was that I felt, in our first-past-the-post electoral system, that none of the other candidates deserved my one and only vote. For the record, I am not an obdurate critic of the Conservatives; in this respect, I could even borrow from one of my supporters, former Tatton Independent MP Martin Bell: it's not that I am anti-George, but pro-Independent!
I started my political career just six weeks ago, and now I look forward to building on it to serve the people of Tatton to the best of my abilities. I promise that I will continue to work to this end, in whatever way I can, however I am needed.
Editors note: This is a guest post by Sarah Flannery, the Independent candidate for Tatton.
