It’s been a few days now and hopefully most of the hurt is over, though for some it’ll take a long time. Jobs have been lost and decades of work finished overnight. The country lost some of its best MP’s, and we lost some of the best of our own.

I’ve heard a lot of people saying that we’re dead. We’re wiped out in politics. Insignificant. Clearly the 6000 people who have joined us didn’t get that particular memo. And it’s lit a fire in me personally and I’m sure many more people feel similarly invigorated.

I realised long before election night that this was a cause that I believe in and that I could really dedicate myself to. No matter what the result I was determined to fight for what I believe in and I know that’s a feeling shared by most of you. I’m upset yes, but I realised (after admittedly trying) that kicking the nearest solid object wouldn’t do a lot of good for anyone.

There are elections to come, boundary changes in my town means council elections next year that I’ll do my best to help with even if university has dragged me up north.

I knew I wanted to do something. After seeing the fantastic news about our new membership figures I realised that the fightback had already begun. So I went to the Liberal Youth chat page and spoke to a few people. I decided there should be a nickname for this fightback.

We came up with “Operation Phoenix”, inspired after seeing Sal Brinton’s video on this website and it turns out a couple of people had already been using that name to describe it which settled it really.

I know we’ll be back, and I know that we still have some of the best people there is, the next election will be under a different atmosphere. But before then we’ve got various minor elections and the EU referendum likely to come to fight. We’re already building up membership and that should only continue and there have been some fantastic views on this sight already to discuss what’s needed. All I know is that when called I’ll help fight for our voice to be heard, I’ve already resolved to try and convert a few people at university.

There’s now an Operation Phoenix thunderclap set for next Friday, it’d be great if we could get #OperationPhoenix trending even a little if nothing else as a show of defiance to our opponents. We’re not pining for the fjords just yet.

* Will Wilshere is a member of Watford Liberal Democrats. He blogs here.