Ö÷²¥´óÐã

Lord Adonis has found a catchy campaign theme.

He has a £6bn road building programme - which just happens to be the exact sum the Conservatives are planning to cut from public spending if they get elected.

So we hear plenty of the mantra:"£6bn would be in jeopardy if the Conservatives are elected because they would make £6bn of cuts the day after the election."

The Transport Secretary is touring the region, appropriately, by train.

At Ipswich he talks about plans to put more freight on the rails.

At Lowestoft he witnesses the hold-ups caused every time the is raised.

And in Norwich he promises that if Labour gets back in, will definitely be dualled.

That's something none of the other parties can promise.

"We've got a commitment to ongoing investment in road, railways and ports," he says.

"Transport is vital to the region's economy which is why we've trebled investment since 1997."

But how can he make such promises when it's widely assumed that the transport budget will be plundered after the election?

"A good deal of investment comes from the private sector when it comes to ports and railways. My job is to get the best possible deal for the public.

"And we have a £6 billion programme over the next five years in the strategic road network which includes the . We'll protect it as far as we possible can - we can give that commitment - the Conservatives can't because they're committed to faster cuts than us."

When it comes to rail services he talks about speeding up journey times between London and Norwich. He accepts that it's hard to travel from east to west across the region but believes things will improve.

"Remember the Norwich to Cambridge service started under this Government. We want to see more east/west services but you're only going to get that if you have a party in Government that's committed to public services.

"We're committed to working with the private sector to get the best possible deal for transport users."

Lord Adonis is a man who is passionate about transport. He has many aspirations - his challenge will be to protect his department's budget in order to fulfill those aspirations, if his party gets re-elected.

And did I mention he has a £6bn road building programme... ?

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

The Liberal Democrats tell us they are to push resources not only into their frontline seats but a new second line of constituencies they now believe they can win.

So the emphasis is shifting to seats like Chelmsford, and even East Cambridgeshire.

Today , co-founder of the Liberal Democratic Party and its first President, visited Norwich.

This is a woman who's seen it all before. So is this a 1981 moment?

"The effect of the debates has been colossal - largely because we had the least known party with the least known leader.

"What happened was because we were 'the leftover party' - in the shadows.

"A large number of people are deeply worried about the political system. They hope for a new kind of politics. I do think we're going through a huge cultural shift and we won't have a two party system any more."

She recalled : "We had this initial breakthrough but it all subsided in the long term."

So is it really going to be different this time?

There is no doubt this is the most extraordinary election. It is not simply the narrative of an outgoing Labour government or an incoming Conservative one.

That's the story we have all been telling for months now, as Baroness Williams pointed out to me today. We, the media, didn't see it coming.

Who? Moi?

This is history in the making. Tell your children. This is a moment.

But what is... it?

Will this be the end of a century of two party hegemony? The beginning of proportional representation..?

Or simply a puff in the polls for the Lib Dems that will evaporate in the fires of the first past the post system.

I'll stick my neck out. Something's afoot. What's odd is that it looks more likely to fan the flames of consensus than the winds of change.

• Bookmark with:
• del.icio.us |
• Digg |
• Reddit
• - What's this?

Welcoming the guests for last night's debate...

Hanging loose, David Campbell Bannerman for the , was first to arrive.

"We could come through in the last week," he gurgled, "there's an appetite for change. If they've seen Nick Clegg, when they look at the policies, that will put them off. We are the true change, they're all the same."

But they weren't. Next in the Green Room, which was actually a purple room but we press on, was an excited Shailesh Vara, who was the Conservatives' Shadow Deputy Leader of the House.

He insists: "the reception's very postitive. It reminds me of 1997 when people were so against the administration but now it's the other way round".

I remind him how the Conservatives seem to be struggling to unseat a party that's already served three terms, with an unpopular leader, and is in the middle of the deepest recession for 60 years.

"There are people out there who are undecided but if people are minded to vote
we tell them what their policies really are".

There's a theme developing here but at that moment Norman Lamb, the Lib Dem Health spokesman, turns up.

"It's amazing," he announces,"we thought Nick would perform well; as a result of the debates, we thought we'd get a lift. I think there's a pent up frustration and anger and that's what's sustaining it."

Competing for the frustration vote are the , whose deputy leader, Adrian Ramsay, arrives brandishing his bike helmet.

"The best thing about elections is being on the doorstep. It's the most important thing that we do. People approve of our record and they are looking for an alternative".

A rather subdued former Ö÷²¥´óÐã Secretary with an actual record in government prepared for the fray.

Charles Clarke is fed up with the Prime Ministerial debates sucking all the oxygen out of this campaign and he wants to refocus on policy.

"It's the economy dominating on the doorsteps. It's going very well. I'm feeling very confident. I don't believe the polls and I'm not seeing the national Lib Dem surge locally."

So, we're back to them again.

Off from the dark of the wings they set, to face a fired up audience in these heady days before next week's vote.

Watch the whole programme on iPlayer.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

Now it's our turn.

After all the hype over the Prime Ministerial Debates, we are having a crack at putting some leading lights from around the region to the test.

Stewart White hosts the panel of politicians and an invited audience in Norwich will pose the questions.

In the red corner we have .

In the blue corner, Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, .

And in the yellow corner, the Lib Dem Health Spokesman,.

They will be slugging it out on Ö÷²¥´óÐã One after the ten o' clock news and you can decide who the winners are.

Unlike the Leaders Debates, the audience in this programme are allowed to clap, cheer and perhaps even express their disapproval.

It's the tightest contest for a generation and we are told that 60% of the electorate have yet to decide who to vote for.

If you are interested in what affects us here in the eastern counties perhaps tuning in will help you make up your mind.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

Oh dear, oh dear, as if it's not bad enough trailing third in the polls, today, to add to Labour's woes, they've had to sack a candidate in the east.

was fighting the seat - until offensive remarks he made on the internet came to light.

He had boasted of his sexual exploits, appealed for nude models and written that he wouldn't want his children to marry a Muslim.

Labour moved quickly to suspend him so, with just ten days to go until the general election, the constituency finds itself without a Labour candidate.

The flamboyant Mr Cowan had already been expelled from the Lib Dems.

It's too late though, to replace him with another candidate or to remove his name from the ballot paper.

Some people indidn't seem too worrried at the prospect of not having a Labour candidate; " He probably doesn't stand too much of a chance round here anyway," commented one woman.

They came third last time but there were still 11,000 voters who put a cross in a Labour box.

This time they're being told to - 'hold their nose and and vote for the party not the candidate'.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

is having a week where he's being blamed for everything.

"According to some of the rich reporting that's been going on, it was me stoking the volcano in Iceland, it was also my fault that a beach in Brighton that should be sandy is now covered in pebbles. So if anything goes wrong with your life I'm at fault," he jokes.

The is addressing supporters in a supermarket car park in Norwich and he's on a roll.

"if you need any confirmation that politics is changing, just look what's been happening."

He warms to his theme: "this is now a people's election where people will not be told by politicians what to think or what to do.

"There are millions of people who are turning their backs on the politics of the past, they want something new and they're responding to our message of hope."

The Liberal Democrats are feeling good about themselves at the moment.

During Mr Clegg's visit - several activists come up to tell us about the positive reaction they're getting on the doorsteps. One excited councillor hints that it may even be possible for them to take the which most commentators consider to be a safe Conservative seat.

The buzz surrounding Nick Clegg and his TV debates has thrown this election wide open. But the reality for the is that they still face an uphill struggle.

In most seats in our region the Lib Dems are in third place, a long way behind the , who are still leading the polls.

They may well poll more votes this time. David Howarth the former MP for Cambridge recently predicted that they'll get more of the popular vote than .

If that happens the clamour for electoral reform will be deafening but the reality is that being so far behind in such a strong Conservative region means that it will be very hard for them to actually win seats.

Maybe that will turn out to be the story of this election. Maybe the electoral system will be changed. Maybe.

Mr Clegg, though, believes that anything is possible.

"Nothing will ever change if people don't believe that change is possible, but it is. Look at other parts of the country like Sheffield where I come from, which people once said would never turn to the Liberal Democrats but have. You've got to believe in change".

In the Lib Dems are in second place, three thousand votes behind Labour.

This is a seat which you might expect them to take. But it won't be easy here as the picture is complicated by a strong presence.

The Greens are the main opposition party on the local council while the Lib Dems only have six seats and a recent poll put both of them a long way behind Labour's Charles Clarke.

In , their next best chance, they are four thousand votes behind the Conservatives. It's an uphill battle, although the Lib Dem team there are very excited.

In and the new Broadland seat they are deemed to be almost seven thousand votes behind well established Conservative candidates.

If the Lib Dem surge continues, seats may well change hands in other parts of the country - but in our region it still seems a big ask.

Then again, as Nick Clegg said, anything is possible.

In this election, like never before, you get the feeling that might be true.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

had John Prescott. The Conservatives have .

The larger than life, plain speaking Yorkshire man is a popular Conservative chairman.

If anyone can give the party faithful a boost at the moment, it's him.

On a mission to calm the party's jitters, the veritable Mr Pickles spent the day crammed into a mini van (which the party optimistically describes as a battle bus).

He was touring some of the key marginals in our region dispensing words of comfort and re-assurance at every stop and gently goading his activists to try just that teensy little bit harder - or else.

"In two very short weeks time the nation's going to vote" he tells them in Harlow, "and on the doorsteps there's just one message you have to get across: do you want another five years of Gordon Brown?"

"There are two ways of getting Gordon Brown, either by voting Labour or voting Liberal Democrat".

Yes the Liberal Democarts are now the ones in the party chairman's sights.

Following the first Prime Ministerial Debate, the Conservatives have been shocked by the surge in Lib Dem support.

As their Party Chairman travelled from Harlow to Luton, Basildon, Thurrock and Castle Point, he wasted no opportunity to trash them.

"We must talk about the issues," he tells me " why they want to grant asylum to 600,000 illegal immigrants, why they want to abandon the protection of our nuclear deterrent, why they want to abandon the pound".

The Conservatives have been spooked by the . Over the last few years they've carefully targeted the marginal seats they need to win, ploughed in lots of extra money and volunteers and made their candidates work hard.

Yet it could all be de-railed by the public's new found love affair with Nick Clegg.

Mr Pickles still believes he can win this election and this visit was about calming nerves and getting everyone to focus.

"I am confident we can win," he says, "the activists are enthusiastic and we're well organised in the areas we need to take"

"But you've got to expect that in a general election campaign things are going to move about a bit, the polls are going to move about a bit and issues are going to move about a bit, but the underlying truth that this country needs change remains the same".

As it happens, the Lib Dem surge may not have much effect in our region; the Lib Dems are in third place in most of the seats which the Tories need to win.

Most Conservative candidates here are confident they'll win their seats.

This surge could, however, lose them seats in other parts of the country and affect their chances of getting into Government.

The Conservatives hope that by talking about policies they'll win the battle against the Lib Dems.

But they're also finding that on the doorsteps there's a wish for change but a reluctance to vote Conservative.

So for now the best they can do is to keep repeating their message and hope that public sentiment will shift.

Publically Mr Pickles remains confident and optimistic as he tours the country.

Occasionally he gets to borrow David Cameron's battle bus. That's a proper coach with comfortable chairs but most of the time he's stuck with the van and it's cramped.

There's just room for him, a driver, a press officer, a box of posters and a spare suit in case someone throws something at him.

Is he losing sleep over the polls? "I could sleep on a washing line at the moment," he says.

"Given that my day begins at 5 and ends at 1, it's just a wonderful feeling just to close your eyes at the end of the day."

I know what he means. Nighty night.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

Harriet's in town.

The of the Labour Party hit the streets of Norwich briefly today....very briefly actually.

She had to get to, where I hope she had a better reception.

There we were, some Labour supporters and a gaggle of media blinking in the sunlight.

Check, yes, there's the baby and a mum on the doorstep rather self consciously peering out of her doorway at the small crowd beyond.

"We'll do one more then she'll speak to you," we're told.

Sooner than we think, as it turns out, when the door across the street is closed rather sooner, methinks, than anticipated.

I am interested in why haven't been more prominent this campaign.

"I think there's been more focus on the leaders in this campaign," sighed Ms Harman.

"We are fielding more women candidates than in any other election."

Yeah but that's not actually saying much as not many of those will translate into seats.

It still doesn't explain why in general election 2010 we have barely heard from any frontbench females. Or, for that matter, any black candidates either.

Fresh politics?

Don't make me laugh.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

I know I'm probably in a minority of one but I wish last Thursday's had never happened.

Gordon, Gordon, Gordon, you will forever be responsible for us having to go through this charade ad infinitum.

You didn't have to do it but now there's no going back.

Why? Because despite the reservations about beauty pageant politics by old curmudgeons like me, something seems to have happened.

Like our silent skies, you can sense something is different but it's hard to know yet quite what.

, the Lib Dems' Health spokesman and North Norfolk MP, is not overwhelmed by the apparent surge in support for the Lib Dems... yet.

"It's the first time we've been ahead in the polls since ," he told me.

"I'm realistic - when you're in the third party your expectations aren't so high. But just getting the recognition factor for Nick Clegg has been a breakthrough.

"It's more pressure though, before it didn't really matter if we didn't get it quite perfect, but now everyone's watching.

"Disaffection with the economy and Parliament is manifesting itself in people wanting a fresh look. People are used to a plurality of choice. Then when it comes to politics, suddenly it's 'this or that' and people are realising that's not the case."

Whether all this would have happened without the introduction of X Factor politics, I don't know."

I would like to think so because I'm still not interested in who won. In my opinion, we all lost.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

The newspapers and the opinion polls keep telling us that the main issues in this election are the economy and jobs and they're probably right, but there are other issues that matter a lot to people.

Like

And among the many hustings and public meetings taking place in Cambridge this week, one was organised by the local arts community.

"Of course we have concerns," says Amelia Bird, organiser of the event.

"We want to know that funding to the arts will not be cut when there are big cuts being made, or threatened, elsewhere."

Four of the main candidates showed up at arts venue and held court in a room normally used for gigs (you could tell because your feet stuck to the floor where countless glasses of beer have spilt over the years).

They sat in different parts of the room and members of the public moved round listening to whomever they wanted, for however long they wanted.

The controversial decision to cancel this year'swas a big talking point.

All the candidates said it was wrong and pledged to look again at the 2003 Act
which gives the police powers to stop such events.

Funding was also a big issue: could the various parties guarantee it and would it be handed out nationally to big ticket projects or would there be more grants to smaller, regional bodies?

Amelia Bird said several of the parties had already pledged to keep funding the arts.

"It doesn't make any financial sense to cut it because for every £1 the government invests in the creative industries at the moment, it receives £3 back in tax, so it's a very small investment for massive social and economic and cultural benefits," she said.

Julian Huppett for the Liberal Democrats was the only one to openly promise not to cut funding to culture.

"We know that arts make money for the country, it's a fantasticaly good investment," he said.

But Daniel Zeichner for Labour agreed that arts was "a sector of the economy which is important to the future, particularly as we move away from relying on the financial sector".

Nick Hillman for the Conservatives said it was important the arts community in Cambridge had a stronger voice.

"If I was MP, who could I come to discuss the arts? Many other areas have influential voices, but who is the person or organisation who speaks for the arts in Cambridge?"

While Tony Juniper of the Green Party won a lot of approving nods when he said that at the moment the politcians only wanted to fund big arts projects sothe Minister can cut the ribbon.

"I think we should be looking at funding more small-scale projects which bring many local benefits," he added.

Their audience wasn't just looking for spending pledges. It also wanted to see if the future MP had an interest and a commitment to the arts.

The candidates actually gave the impression that they did.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

All the candidates in have signed a "clean campaign" document promising a positive fight.

, Labour's candidate, believes that Nick Clegg's performance on the on Thursday has forced everyone to be positive: "there is an anti-politics sense and I am really pleased that the leaders' debate helped to counter that. We all have to push the positives. If we all end up slagging each other off, it just reinforces the sense of anti-politics."

, fighting this, the number one target seat for the Green Party in the east, says the debate has woken people up to the fact that there are real alternatives: "people are now starting to look elsewhere.

"They're realising that there needs to be Green MPs in Parliament and Norwich is the place to start."

The Conservative candidate for Norwich South, , believes people are not anti-politics.

He says: "I'm detecting a real interest in this election, because there's actually a choice in a way there wasn't last time, when it was only a question of how big Blair's majority would be."

He believes there's a real chance of a Tory government and lots of undecideds are heading his way.

Simon Wright, Norwich South's Lib Dem candidate, is over the moon about the party's surge in the polls following Nick Clegg's appearance.

"I have been amazed at the number of people who watched the debate and thought Nick Clegg was great and are going to vote Lib Dem as a result."

Maybe there is change in the air which will translate into votes, maybe not.

• Bookmark with:
• del.icio.us |
• Digg |
• Reddit
• - What's this?

It took 10 years to get elected as a Liberal Democrat MP. So he (and his long suffering wife) knows just how much effort it takes to persuade people to vote for his party.

That's why he and every Lib Dem we've spoken to today has a spring in their step following in the first .

"I think it's a potential game changer," he says. "This was just the first of three debates and we take nothing for granted but it emphasises that this is a real three horse race."

"For us its about credibility, convincing people that we can win and I think this performance will do us the power of good."

In traditional Conservative East Anglia the Liberal Democrats have always struggled to win seats both at Westminster and on local councils.

When the Conservatives were unpopular the Lib Dems did well and won control of councils like Norwich, South Norfolk, Chelmsford and Milton Keynes.

But as the Tories have rebuilt themselves, those councils have slipped away.

Many in the party feared that in this general election they'd get badly squeezed - perhaps even losing Cambridge which they won last time.

So even though a recent opinion poll put the Liberal Democrats in joint third place in , their main target seat in the East, activists are now brimming with confidence.

Will it be short lived? The Conservative's so. On a visit to Norwich she predicted that Nick Clegg's success would backfire.

"What will happen now is that people will look a little more closely at the Liberal Democrats' policies and they'll see some of the contradictions in those policies and that sometimes they don't seem to be able to make up their minds."

"We are the ones with a spring in our step because on the doorsteps people keep telling us they want change and we are that change."

It's often said that to be a Liberal Democrat you need to be an eternal optimist. They know that there have been many false dawns for the party - particularly in our region. Will this be any different?

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

Prime Minister Eddie Izzard.

Can you imagine it?

I expect he wouldn't be the first PM to wear a dress.

What brought on this odd thought was the arrival of the comedian on the Labour campaign trail.

On the first day of his nationwide tour, Eddie Izzard popped up in Cambridge, Lowestoft and Norwich, for a geniality fest.

Welcomed by a relaxed Norwich South candidate, Charles Clarke, in the warm spring sunshine, Eddie revealed that in ten years time he was going to stand for Parliament.

"Why in ten years time?", I asked.

"Because my career's just taking off - I've got work to do."

"Is Gordon Brown a smiler?", he joked with the crowd, "that's not his forte but he put together the G20, that was down to him. He's a serious man for serious times".

But there was no time for gravity this afternoon, that's for the Prime Ministerial debates later.

"What about you versus Boris in 10 years time?", one man suggested.

"Will Boris still be around?", questioned Izzard.

You get the impression that a man who's run 43 marathons has the staying power to find out.

How do you think Her Majesty might get on with a PM in drag?

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

Mr Brown went to Stevenage to talk about making communities stronger and tackling anti-social behaviour.

But it was his candidness about the future of the which was striking.

Everyone is agreed that whoever wins the election will have to make some very tough spending decisions.

normally ducks this question but he admitted to Ö÷²¥´óÐã Look East that there would be some pain ahead.

"It means public sector pay will rise more slowly, it will also mean that the less urgent and less priority services will have to take a back seat while at the same time we ensure that frontline services improve," he said.

But he remains optimistic about the future: "As the economy grows we'll see more jobs developing in the economy. They will not be in the same areas as we have seen in the past but there'll be huge opportunites.

"In this region we have many pharmaceutical companies and I can see the expansion of bio-science probably doubling the number of jobs in the next 10 years.

"We've also got in this this region some of the low carbon industries of the future and we reckon that round Britain around 400,000 will be created. So the jobs may be different but the job opportunities will be there."

Although Mr Brown accepts that there will be tough times ahead in the long term, he believes there'll be more gain than pain.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

Nick Clegg's first visit to the eastern region was a rather chaotic affair.

For a start, the Liberal Democrats forgot to tell us he was going to Northampton at all so there was a mad rush to get there.

Then the London press accompanying him missed their train...

It was ruled, therefore, that the visit could not start until they arrived - even though we were all assembled.

Consequently, missed the opportunity to appear on the lunchtime news and didn't have as much time as he wanted to meet local people.

He was visiting a holiday club on the Spencer Estate in Northampton, one of the most deprived areas in Britain.

Many of the parents he met were on low incomes - even those, and there were many, who had more than one job.

This was the ideal place for him to promote his policy that no-one earning less than £10,000 a year will have to pay any tax.

The cost will be met in part by his £2m so-called .

The Liberal Democrats believe this eye-catching policy will play well in areas like this and it seemed to go down well on the day.

But because time was short, most of the visit was taken up doing media interviews.

Outside, on the windy playground, a group of children played football in the forlorn hope the Liberal Democrat leader would join them. He didn't.

One hour after arriving, he was on his way back to London.

Even though it's not high on the Lib Dem's target list, Northampton may yet surprise everyone.

The party came third in both Northampton South and Northampton North last time round, but the two local MPs have been caught up in the expenses scandal, the boundary changes play in the Lib Dems' favour and they've recently done well on the local council.

It may well have benefitted Mr Clegg if he had stayed a little longer.

The Spencer Estate was built in the 1930s on land once owned by the .

One resident told me that after Diana Princess of Wales died, American tourists would turn up at Northampton station and ask to be taken to the Spencer Estate.

Taxi drivers would apparently delight in dropping them off in the middle of the run-down estate having, of course, pocketed a decent tip.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

The has done something a little odd.

It's told its supporters to "hold their nose" and vote for another party.

Extreme tactical voting.

The three candidates selected for UKIP's attentions in the east are: Philip Hollobone (Kettering), Douglas Carswell (Clacton) and unsurprisingly, Bob Spink (Castle Point), who now sits as an Independent (that's after he left the Tories... do keep up).

These lucky three Conservatives will now be spared any UKIP opposition in their constituencies and they have their Eurosceptic views to thank for that.

All this on the day political history was in the making as the UKIP former leader, Nigel Farrage, launched his campaign to unseat .

It's not the done thing to challenge the parliamentary seat of the Speaker but the history of this party, since its inception in the early 90's, has hardly followed the rule book, so it's no surprise to find the flamboyant Mr Farage chomping at the bit in .

He told us: "As recently as 1987 when was speaker, the two other parties stood against him in Croydon North."

As recently as that then.

"This idea that the other parties don't oppose the Speaker just shows you what a cosy consensus Westminster politics have become," he added.

John Bercow, spotted out on the stump, had this to say:"The convention is that major parties don't stand against the Speaker... the major parties are supporting me... the Speaker has to be impartial... I'm out campaigning. I campaign at every general election. General elections are about the pursuit of support. It would be presumptuous not to campaign."

Isn't it funny how attractive consensus can sound?

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

News that Labour is to rule out a second runway at

For the life of the next Parliament.

The party is still in favour of a third runway at ... but it has changed its mind about Stansted:

"We will not allow additional runways to proceed at any other airport in the next Parliament."

The Conservatives were quick off the mark.

, said: "Just three weeks before the general election a tired Labour government has finally caved in and accepted the Conservative position on Stansted.

"Conservatives have opposed a second runway for years and will stop it happening if we win the general election."

Hang on a minute - isn't there a touch of pots calling kettles?

I personally tried to extract a promise over the second runway from a tight-lipped David Cameron not that long ago.

And yes, we still do still have the tape.

It took until 2008 before the Conservative leader told us he would oppose a second runway, something the Lib Dems had pledged seven years ago.

But it shouldn't simply be a matter of political point scoring.

There is real planning blight for thousands of homes there.

Commmunities where post offices are long gone, pubs struggle to survive, rows of "for sale" signs adorn the streets.

The whole area is suffering from years of disinvestment and... neglect.

People are not political footballs. They deserve better than this. They deserve to know if their community has a future.

And it's not fair to keep them waiting for another Parliament to find out.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

Week one of the campaign is over.

It's generally agreed that the Conservatives have had the best of it so far, pushing at Labour over its National Insurance hike.

And we've heard a little too much from "nauseating" businessmen, according to .

But what's it like on the ground for our MPs fighting to retain their seats?

Bob Russell tells me that Vince's name is like gold dust on the doorstep.

"Saint Vince is worth heaven knows how many votes for every Lib Dem MP across the country.

"He makes sense, he's reliable and he's trustworthy."

Bob, the Lib Dem MP for Colchester, believes spending cuts and when they will happen is the biggest issue this time; the scandal over MPs expenses is "non-existent" for him.

Not so for Nadine Dorries, the Mid Bedfordshire Conservative who is the subject of an investigation by .

She told me she's about to launch 'Nadine Unscripted'.

And that is?

"Public meetings across the constituency. In terms of the expenses issue, I've had a massive response."

With an 11,593 majority, I don't think she will have to worry too much, like Bob and two-thirds of the rest of the country, they're in safe seats.

Not so for Phyllis Starkey, MP for since 1997.

With the boundary changes - this seat now Milton Keynes South - she has a majority of just 1,497.

It is the Conservatives' 27th target seat this election - one they'll need to take if they are to even get close to forming the next government.

Dr Starkey is fighting for her political life in this marginal seat, which the Conservatives only need a swing of 1.5% to win.

Seats like these are where this election is going to be lost or won, and the battle for hearts and minds is being fiercely fought right now.

"It's a very marginal constituency. Voters are focused on choice. People are very engaged, they understand that they will make a difference," she told me.

I'm glad to hear it.

This is an important election with important decisions to be made - whatever they are, let's hope that people have at least thought about it.

In case you're wondering... I'm off to have some birthday cake.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

Today comes the first proof of why is such a fascinating seat.

An opinion poll puts Labour well ahead with the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Green Party scrapping for second.

interviewed 800 people for the poll, commissioned by the Students Union at the University of East Anglia.

Of those who said they would definitely vote, 39% said they'd back Labour, 20% the Conservatives and there was equal support for the Lib Dems and Greens - 19%.

Labour won't be surprised, we've learned their canvass returns suggest a similar level of support.

But with the Greens looking to make their mark, the Conservatives hoping to benefit from the national swing and the Liberal Democrats looking for a second Norfolk seat, you can expect things to get very lively.

And ugly.

The Lib Dems and the Greens crossed swords during the when there were suggestions that there could be a Green breakthrough.

As it happened the Lib Dems came third and the Greens fifth but there was no love lost between the two camps.

Watch out this time.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

Well they did in Ipswich tonight when Edwina rode into town, or into the Kesgrave Community Centre to be exact.

Resplendent in blue jacket and scarf, natch, she had lost none of her old... gobbiness.

"To think in three weeks time we can get this awful lot out, it's marvellous.

"Listening to Gordon this morning, I nearly picked up the radio and flung it across the room", she laughed.

They don't make 'em like this anymore, with the possible exeption of Beds MP, - who is also a Scouser.

There are a wealth of career politicians all vying for that middle ground and a dearth of impassioned stalwarts.

"I adored ", Edwina told the 30 strong audience.

Although the former Health Minister complained that the Iron Lady had only seen fit to endorse a part time wage, for what she regarded as a part time job as a parliamentarian.

"It was all right for her, she was married to a millionaire."

Mrs Currie also revealed she only receives £600 a month for her state pension, her MPs' pension and her ministerial pension combined.

How times have changed.

All that remained was for retiring MP and Deputy Speaker, to arrive and announce that at 4.30 this afternoon he had suspended the Commons.

The end of an era.

After 27 years he said it had been a very emotional day with "not a dry eye in the House".

Let's hope it's not the voters who will be in tears when it resumes after the election.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

After all the anticipation and speculation, it's finally happened and the starting pistol for the general election has been fired.

No sooner had Gordon Brown's entourage returned from the Palace than high profile ministers and their shadows were raced onto Norwich-bound trains.

First up was John Denham, , member for Southampton Itchen since 1992, so his website tells me.

I don't recall him having graced the steps of Norwich Town Hall before but he seemed pleased to be enjoying the spring sunshine there this lunchtime.

Surrounded by Labour acolytes, I asked him about the transport links to the city.

"I never pretend that governments can solve all problems that there are, with a wave of a magic wand," he told me.

"Sometimes you have to do things in a particular order.

"It's one of the reasons we think it's important to win the election again, because while there's a lot that we're proud of and a lot we've achieved, there's things we need to learn from and build on for the future."

I know what I'd like them to build - a decent road from Essex.

Then Mr Denham breezed off round the market square to meet the public, almost bumping into , the Shadow Health Secretary on his way into the Forum.

Norwich North MP, Chloe Smith, a Conservative representing what is now a Labour seat thanks to boundary changes, opened the proceedings.

The South Cambridgeshire MP was in fine fettle as he addressed Conservative followers.

Andrew Lansley enthused: "We have been waiting for a long time. I think the country has been waiting a long time. I think it's long overdue.

"I think when you look at the economy, our economy needed a new government long ago, needed a government that starts to put the dynamism back into the economy, one which focuses on enterprise, one that understands that it isn't just government expenditure that keeps the economy moving.

"Quite frankly it is also about all of us, working in business or enterprise and wealth creation, of people who spend their own money, people who go to shops and spend money, the economy isn't built on debt."

Funny, I thought it was.

At least the Conservatives' gathering provided a cup of tea - that was more than Easyjet managed at the other end of the patch where George Osborne pitched up at Luton Airport.

The staff canteen was made available to the media - as long as they paid for their own drinks.

The Lib Dems dispensed with meeting a couple of dozen party faithful and stayed in London.

From the relative safety of a studio their health spokesman and Norfolk North MP, , told us: "I think it is a great opportunity to make a real change. Change that works for the voter.

"We've had decades of failed government from the old parties and there is a real opportunity now, provided we grasp it, of achieving something different.

"A fairer Britain. Fairer taxes, a fair start in life for children. Getting the economy working, investing in jobs, sorting out the failings of the banks and critically, clearing up politics."

So, there you have it. The opening shots of this campaign, the most unpredictable in modern times. One things's certain, there will be plenty more where that's come from over the next five weeks.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

It's not only the public who are to be pursued by the politicians this election but the party faithful too.

made an effort to stoke the fires in the bellies of Essex's bright young things this weekend.

Bring on the boys.
and did a double act in Basildon to encourage the latest recruits.

Only youngsters were allowed to go - which ruled me out.

But I'm told Ed was grateful to local MP, Angela Smith, for providing some quality time with his sibling.

One can only imagine what it's really like being a member of the cabinet during an election campaign - you can kiss goodbye to your families, that's for sure.

David just edged it on the day, getting slightly more of the questions than his baby brother.

And the sprinkling of star dust over the young ones certainly seemed to do the trick; they left suitably impressed.

All the parties need to spread some love to their grass roots now.

With this, the tightest election for 18 years, the battle ahead will be a demanding one.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?

When is a kiss not simply a kiss?

When it's election time.

Five and a half month old Maddison got the five star treatment from the , David Milliband, on a visit to a Sure Start centre in Bedford today.

It's a cliche but it did look like the father of two genuinely couldn't resist a quick cuddle while on the campaign trail.

After the politicians face an uphill struggle to reconnect with voters in this election.

Even among people here - there was a fair degree of cynicism.

"There are some very good MPs around but the impression you get is that they're in the minority not the majority," said one.

"I think it's knocked some people's confidence but I will be voting," said another.

David Milliband countered: "There's huge cynicism and scepticism about politics and we have to show in this campaign that politics is, indeed, a noble cause.

"We have to break through the cynicism, we have to listen, we have to be humble about what's gone wrong as well as full of pride about what's gone right and we have to really try and map a positive course for the country's future."

All this and the election starting gun's not even been fired yet.

Mr Milliband warmed to his theme, chatting later to locals in Luton South: "Politics needs cleaning up - particularly in this town," he said.

It's the town that , who was suspended from the Labour Party last week, helps represent.

Labour supporters - and there are plenty of them here - were glad of a bit of high ranking TLC as they have been sorely neglected over the past year.

We'll soon see whether it's enough to win their votes.

• Bookmark with:
• |
• |
• - What's this?