Second the above.
Re ex-mil standing for election - perhaps we cannot stomach the necessary sacrificing of beliefs for the sake of 'party'? I'd guess the majority of us are too outspoken to survive in the modern political system? (I often have to bite my tongue in a normal civvy job - let alone dealing with some of the characters you'd no doubt meet as an MP
) Good luck to those that do stand but the phrase "a voice in the wilderness" springs to mind.