Despite predictions of rain, the day starts propitiously bright, if cloudy. After nine months of campaigning since  selection in August, it has been probably the most engaging, exciting and exhausting period of my life, far exceeding insane 60-hour weeks in Silicon Valley bringing some chip to market. Such projects never lasted nine months, left at least one day per week undisturbed and did not demand such a range of performance as this campaign.

This time tomorrow, the result will be known but even now I face whatever it might be with the kind of cheerful equanimity you can only get when you have done your best, pulled out every stop available and know in your heart that there can be no remorseful “if only…” because some idea remained untried or energy untapped.

It was a team effort by a lot of good-hearted people of whom I am very proud to count myself as one. Whatever the outcome, that statement will stand. Meantime, let the chips fall where they may.

Alex campaigning with Colin Beattie in Musselburgh