Having spent the last four months of my life campaigning full time and a pretty big chunk of my time before that, the election is now over. The Clegg bounce sort of flopped, several amazing Lib Dem MPs and candidates failed to be returned to the Commons and we ended up with only 57 MPs to our name.
If politics counts as faith then I don't mind telling you I'm on the edge of a crisis of it.
So here goes trying to cheer things up. You won't necessarily agree with everything but at least try to play along...
The Big Ones:
1 - The Tories didn't get a majority!
There's still hope. Even after spending millions in marginal seats and being duplicitous in almost every way, David Cameron fell well short of the 326 seats he needs to hold an absolute majority. If Ashcroft and Murdoch couldn't win it for him you have to wonder if a single party will ever win an election outright again.
2 - More people voted!
29.7 million people voted in the general election - that's over 65% - well up on 2005. When I registered to vote in Hackney there was a queue and it was overwhelmingly young.
3 - Lots more people voted Lib Dem!
6,827,938 people (23% of the vote) voted for a Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate in 2010. That's about 900,000 more than last time and an extra 1% share.
4 - Nobody got shot, beheaded, blinded, dispossessed or otherwise harmed or intimidated for taking part in an election!
For all the postal vote irregularities, leaflet avalanches and smarmy candidates we Brits have to endure, voters and candidates in many other parts of the world have it way worse.
The Small Victories:
1 - Naomi Long, East Belfast (APNI).
Naomi Long of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland is the first representative of a cross-community non-sectarian party the Province has sent to Westminster since 1974 (and even then it was a defector). This is even more fantastic given that the DUP candidate she defeated was Peter Robinson, the First Minister, a man about whom much could be written, all of it negative, little of it libelous.
2 - Sylvia Hermon, North Down (Ind).
If you're going to try and merge your party with another, it's probably a good idea to discuss it with your one sitting MP first. The Ulster Unionists didn't. They formed an electoral alliance with the Tories and Lady Hermon stood and won as a centre-left Independent.
3 - Caroline Lucas, Brighton Pavilion (Green).
Now this is probably contentious, but whether you generally agree with them or not, the Green Party previously had no representation whatsoever but this time managed to win a seat despite all the gross inequalities of First Past the Post. Can't we all just be happy about that?
4 - Ian Swales, Redcar (Lib Dem).
This was Mo Mowlam's old seat - continuing the earlier Northern Irish theme - and was supposed to be rock solid. A 21.8 ... let me repeat that ... a 21.8% swing to the Liberal Democrats put paid to that.
5 - Karen Buck, Westminster North (Lab).
It's always nice to see a deserving underdog win and even better when they defeat someone who deserves it. I had the good fortune to be in the room when Karen Buck learned she had held on to her seat and when her Tory opponent Joanne Cash found out too. Karen looked shellshocked; Joanne may have been sucking on a particularly sour gobstopper at the time but I don't think so! For once it was Casework 1 - Cashcroft Nil.
6 - John Bercow, Buckingham (Speaker).
The right wing hates him because he had the temerity to become less of a despicable Tory as he got older. The cheek of it. Not only that, but... whisper it... He's a Jew! Not that I would ever suggest that had any bearing on the low regard the Tory press and establishment has for him.
Anyway, the serried ranks of Torydom lined up behind UKIP MEP Nigel Farage in almost open rebellion. Farage lost. Not only did he lose to Mr Bercow, but he came third behind former Thames Valley MEP John Stevens, founder of the Pro-Euro Conservatives and an ex-Lib Dem.
7 - Margaret Hodge, Barking (Labour).
I don't particularly like her, in fact I think she's pretty daft. Let's forget about her and instead just share a little joke I heard recently.
What's the difference between Nick Griffin and a bicycle?
The bicycle has more seats.
I thank you.
Personal Triumphs:
1 - 701 People voted for me!
In Tachbrook ward, Westminster we went from 3rd place to 2nd and got about twice as many votes as in 2006 (Yes I know it was a higher turnout, don't burst my bubble!)
2 - Only 574 people voted for Paul!
You may not know him but I well and truly beat him! We were both, however, the lowest polling Lib Dems in our wards.
3 - We more than trebled our vote in our target ward!
Go Team Churchill.
4 - I'm still alive!
I consider this an achievement.
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I don't know if you bothered reading this far but I feel a bit more motivated having written this so maybe so do you for having read it. If not, sorry!
