No-one has a right to become a parliamentary candidate

Like Joanne Cash, the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Westminster North, I am a relative newcomer to politics. Like Ms Cash, I had a professional career beforehand, albeit as a shoe and fashion retailer rather than in law. But unlike Ms Cash, I w

Like Joanne Cash, the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Westminster North, I am a relative newcomer to politics. Like Ms Cash, I had a professional career beforehand, albeit as a shoe and fashion retailer rather than in law. But unlike Ms Cash, I was not foisted upon my local party as their PPC, and unlike Ms Cash I have an excellent relationship with that local party.

The reason? When I decided to become involved in politics, I didn't think I had any right to just walk in and become a PPC. I joined the local party, soon became its treasurer, and worked hard and made progress. The Chair did resign when I became PPC, but that's because I was the Chair. I now have a united local party which is totally behind me in my efforts.

Westminster has been Tory-run since its creation in 1965 and in true Conservative style is run for the rich few rather than the many. Under Nick Clegg the Lib Dems have made the 2010 campaign about fairness. Here in Westminster there is much to be done to make a fairer society.

The Conservatives pay lip service to change and being 'modernisers' but it's still the same old jobs for the boys. or in Ms Cash's case, girls. And if they can self-destruct like this over one marginal in North London, I shudder to think how they'll behave if they ever try to form a government.

Mark Blackburn,

Liberal Democrat parliamentary

candidate for Westminster North