For the first time in a decade Conservative supporters can sense an electoral victory on the horizon. But to achieve it the party has got to ensure that its cadre of parliamentary candidates is enthused and given the support to finish the job.

There are 550 people on the Conservative party’s list of approved candidates to fight parliamentary seats. Shortly after he was elected leader, David Cameron announced that he would be creating an “A-list” of candidates for winnable seat, including more women and ethnic minority candidates. Last week letters were sent to the 104 chosen candidates. I was not one of them.

I fought North Norfolk at the last election. I gave up my job in London, bought a house in Norfolk and did everything I could to win. I lost to the sitting Lib Dem. I make absolutely no complaint about being excluded from the A-list: I abide by the referees’ decision. And having seen some of the outstanding names who have not made it onto the A-list — including some high-flyers close to David Cameron — who am I to complain? But at the age of 43 I, like my 450 colleagues who are not part of the chosen few, now have a big decision to make.

Do we read the writing on the wall and walk away from a political career, or do we stay on the larger candidates list and work even harder until the A-list is topped up with some more names in July? I am minded to stay on the list for now, but I have some hard thinking to do.

Others made an instant decision and resigned from the approved list. They feel bitter and betrayed. They question why they worked their guts out, invested thousands of hours of their time and thousands of pounds of their money in a party that appears to have cast them aside.

Such emotion is natural and the party must understand it.

The worrying thing is the number of younger candidates who are considering walking away.

I have had several thirty-somethings on the phone in tears and have lost count of the number of conversations I’ve had urging my younger colleagues not to give up. The fact is, they have several more electoral chances ahead of them, whereas people of my age and older have (or had) only one.

What unites everyone in the party is the desire to see more women candidates selected in winnable seats. But is the A-list the right way to achieve this? In the short term it may be, but we will only ever come close to achieving real equality when there are equal numbers of men and women to choose from.

David Cameron will have made a real achievement when he has recruited 300 women onto the main list. That’s why Anne Jenkin’s Women2Win initiative is to be welcomed. If women don’t come forward voluntarily, we need people who will go around tapping them on the shoulder and encouraging them to think about a career in politics.

We should also be open and transparent about who our candidates are. If the party wants to reinforce its “Change Agenda” it should publish the 104 names.

Indeed it should be proudly proclaiming the list from the rooftops. The ConservativeHome.com website has already published 60 or so names, but it would be far better for the party to do it and demonstrate to the world the breadth and range of people on the list.

It’s not just about women: we need an A-list of northern candidates, of Scottish and Welsh candidates, who can help to rejuvenate the party in our cities. We want to see more people with public service and public sector backgrounds making it. Any party that is seeking to renew itself needs fresh talent.

My only worry is whether the “newbies” are totally aware of what they are letting themselves in for. It takes a huge commitment in time and money to be a candidate three years away from an election. It’s a very hard slog, totally without glamour, albeit with a huge reward for success.

I wish all the best to those who have been given the chance. To those who have not, I say keep at it. In the end we all want the same thing — to see Cameron on the doorstep of No 10.

www.iaindale.blogspot.com