It was galling to just miss out on getting elected to the European Parliament for the second time last night, by an even smaller margin than in 2004. Even though the number of London Euro-seats went down from nine to eight (in response to EU enlargement), I would still have been elected had the Liberal Democrats polled just 110 more votes per Westminster parliamentary constituency. Instead, the Conservatives held their third seat (last time, it was Labour). Turnout was only about a third of the electorate, but at least the BNP came nowhere near getting a seat in London. London region LibDems fought a far better campaign than ever before, especially in our held and target parliamentary seats, and I had a great team of young volunteers working for me. I am as disappointed for them as I am for myself.
My enthusiasm for the European project is not dimmed, however, nor is my commitment to the LibDem cause. So as far as I am concerned, my preparations for 2014 begin next week!
