Moments ago, I congratulated Joney Faragher and Clare Barber on their election to serve the people of Douglas East as Members of the House of Keys. I am confident that Joney and Clare will serve with distinction for the next half-decade. Each of the other candidates ran very spirited campaigns and they should be recognised for their courage in putting themselves forward.
The public very rarely get it wrong, and they have selected two fine community servants in Joney and Clare.
Our campaign has made a real difference to people’s lives. We’ve helped address the health challenges faced by many local residents. We’ve helped to fix a bunch of local roads. We offered a viable alternative, but the people of Douglas East have spoken. So they shall be obeyed!
For me? I’m going to return to being a private citizen. On Saturday, I’ll be playing for Castletown Hockey Club. On Sunday, I’ll be getting up early to referee netball. On Monday, I’ll be back at work for the Manx TaxPayers’ Alliance and the Manx Cooperative Society. On Thursday, I’ll be volunteering for the Isle of Man Foodbank. On every day, I’ll be grateful for the love and support that I have received across the community.
Through two election campaigns over the last 15 months, I’ve benefited from some very special people entering my life. They have given me great faith in the inherent goodness of humans, and if you are reading this and considering whether to put yourself forward for public service in the future, my very clear advice is that you should stand up and enter the arena. Losing (third! twice!) sucks, and there are some people who write awful and hurtful things on the internet, but I am not a victim here. Those arrows are meaningless when you are wearing strong armour. My strong armour has been the love that I have received unconditionally. I have benefited from unconditional grace and benefited from the people that I’ve met through my endeavours in Manx public life. One of the great things about being a candidate is the opportunity to make great new friends from many different walks of life.
To Fenella, David & Jan, Katie & Phil; James, Anna, James, Alison, Peter, Marion, Gordon, Thumar, Paul, Amy, Dale, Brett & Jonathan; Lawrie, Peter, Kate, Paul & Peter; Mark, Chris, Chris, Tony & Jack; Geoff, Denis & Andy; Laura & James; Aoife; Charlton, Andrew, Neal, Richard, Doreen, Andy, Lloyd; and every other person who voted for and supported me through my endeavours, each of you have made my life richer and I’m grateful for you.
Thanks.