Jan 30, 2009 20:31
Yesterday voters in Didsbury West headed to the polls, and with their democratic votes handed an overwhelming, though in fairness not unexpected, victory to my opponent, Lianne Williams. Congratulations to her, I say, and also to David Ellison who held on to Labour's second place position, and to Geoff Evans, who put in a spirited performance for the Greens.
It's true that I entered this race with the intention of doing everything I could to win it, and that intention never wavered. To my supporters, and those who voted for me, I don't know now what else we could have done to give you a different result, but if you feel for any reason that I've let you down, that in some way I've not been the candidate you'd hoped for, I'm sorry.
But what's also true is that my primary aim was always to run a good, fair, decent campaign, one that honoured both the voters of Didsbury West and the memory of Neil Trafford, and I think we achieved that. We never wavered in our determination both to confront what we saw as the policy failures of our opponents, and scrupulously to avoid any kind of personal attacks on three good, honourable people. I've lost count of the numbers who've said that this campaign was the best stand the Conservative Party has made anywhere in Manchester in many years, and the reputation of the Conservatives around here has improved a great deal as a result - nobody can say now that the Conservatives don't listen to, or care about, residents in Didsbury or in any other community across this city of ours.
Of these things I'm proud, and I can also assure everyone that the loss of one election doesn't diminish for one moment my determination to carry on doing my best to improve the lives and lots of my neighbours.
It has been my pleasure to serve you, and it will be my pleasure to continue.