Douglas Carswell is the newly-elected Conservative MP for Harwich. This is the final instalment of his conference diary:
The most upbeat Conservative conference for years draws to a close today. The last few delegates start to drift home; teams of conference organisers begin to take apart their stalls and those of us who are weighing up who to vote for as party leader mull over what we've heard. So who am I going to support?
I arrived here a few days ago undecided between Liam Fox, David Cameron and David Davis. Inside the Blackpool bubble that is the conference, Fox has impressed delegates with specific commitments – it is not enough just to say that we have to change. I need to hear too what our next leader stands for - Fox certainly knows what he stands for.
Whatever today's less than favourable headlines say, David Davis is in my opinion still the definite frontrunner. David Cameron, though, has had a first rate conference. Blackpool 2005 marked him out as a big beast in the making.
Sitting in the unlovely Preston station while changing trains on my way home, I think I am on the verge of making a decision. But I hesitate. I am tired – albeit happy – after a great week. I need to sleep on it and talk to my local association first. I need to see what perspective the Sunday papers put on it all.
One lesson I hope all Conservatives have learned from 15 years of defeat and retreat: it's not how we see ourselves that matters, but how those not in the conference bubble perceive us that matters.
If those outside the Blackpool bubble are thinking what I'm thinking – so to speak – my decision next week is going to be easy.
