Advice to prospective Parliamentary candidates - if not now, then when?

Talking about the Cambridge selection reminds me that I haven't rattled on about candidates for a while. Let's remedy that...

Career success is not just about talent and hard work, although without those key elements, you are unlikely to be successful. However, most successful people will acknowledge that being in the right place at the right time helps. It's knowing where the right place is and when the right time is that presents the challenge...

David Howarth's rather unexpected decision to retire at the next General Election is, for some lucky soul, the right time. As a reasonably safe seat, with Labour as the main challengers, it looks like the right place. However, it leaves little time for preparation, and the very tight schedule means that only already approved candidates are likely to be serious contenders*.

So, what should the ambitious Liberal Democrat learn from this? Get your application form for approval as a Parliamentary candidate in now! Yes, you might not have a seat in mind, you may live in a constituency where the MP is a Liberal Democrat of comparative youthfulness, you may not see an opportunity that entices. But, as David Howarth has demonstrated, you never know what might happen. And if you aren't ready to take an opportunity when it comes up, you might not get another one like it for a while. By then, there'll be new challengers, perhaps someone who has taken my advice.

* Yes, you're right, a Selection Committee can choose to include unapproved applicants, as long as they are approved prior to shortlisting. But they don't have to, and any such applicant merely adds to the pressure of the assessment day. You're also relying on a Regional Candidates Chair holding an assessment day in time, in a place where you can reach it and with a spare slot. How lucky are you feeling?