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So in this brave new world, how are the new MPs settling in?

The former head of Brentwood Council and the new Conservative MP for Great Yarmouth is Brandon Lewis.

"It's a privilege to work in the House. It's the best office in the world - although I'm working in the Commons library at the moment. It's quieter than the committee room," he says.

A number of new MPs who have expressed amazement to me lately that it seems to take up to four weeks to find them somewhere to hang their hat, but there it is...

Mr Lewis sees great opportunies for , with its wind farm and the development of the outer harbour.

While Steve Morphew, the Labour leader of Norwich City Council, sees great opportunities for the Labour Party in the future.

"We're already working towards next year's local elections, which will include a two-thirds election in Norwich," he informs me.

Elections weren't held this year because a unitary council, approved by the Labour government, was in the offing. So the third of councillors that would have been elected this year weren't and they'll have to fight their seats next year, along with next year's lot. Geddit?

This unitary plan has cost millions already, and we're told by the Conservatives it will save £40 million by scrapping it. Mr Morphew insisted that the would have saved £20 million in the long run.

But now we'll never know. Talk about political football. Not much sign of new politics here.

Talking of which, became the first casualty of the coalition this weekend, putting the alliance under yet more pressure.

Those tensions are evident whomever you speak to. Lib Dem loyalist Bob Russell has been transformed into a firebrand and now sits on the front row (not on the front benches much to his chagrin) proudly diplaying a bright yellow waistcoat - presumably to distunguish him from his distinguished Conservative colleagues.

I wonder whether his disquiet at the coalition was responsible this week for the breaking of his record. For the first time in a decade Bob Russell didn't get to table the first Commons motion of the new parliamentary term.

Normally he sleeps in the vote office to be first in the queue, but this time he was way down the list.

One wonders how long the alliance will last and whether it can go the whole term.

That's one thing both Conservative and Labour members tend to agree on, but only if they're out of earshot of the Lib Dems.

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