The economic recovery, the big freeze, and spending cuts
It's often said that a week is a long time in politics.
The first week of the new year has indeed been a long week, with the "election starts here" campaigning from the Tories and Labour, to the bungled coup against Gordon Brown, and of course the snow.
Last week may have been interesting politically and meteorologically, but in terms of starting normal life after the Christmas and New Year break is was a bit of a false start.
This week kicks off with another bout of "which party will be the biggest cutter" competition.
Chancellor Alistair Darling kicked it off on Saturday (granted that was actually last week), and has been followed by David Cameron saying he would go further.
As I've said before I think voters want a degree of honesty, but the Conservatives seem to be in danger of swinging too far in the cutting debate.
Britain is widely expected to be officially out of the recession on January 26. But that recovery is fragile and the big freeze has hardly been the best start to the year from a financial perspective for the country's economy. It may have been fun for the kids, but it has been a nightmare for councils, and bad for productivity especially at those firms that had their supplies cut off last week.
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Dale Street Associates
David Bartlett
City editor of the Post and Echo covering politics, regeneration, and urban affairs.
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I may engage in a little mocking from time to time, but I also believe in giving credit where it's due. Travelling along the Allerton Road area today, one of the Wavertree parliamentary candidates (I say one, I think we are due another soon - no rush - take your time)young Colin Sledridge out on the road with a shovel trying to break up the ice sheets. He didn't seem to be having much luck on that particular stretch, with the shovel bouncing off like it was concrete, but nevertheless, he was out there having a go. If it wasn't so cold, I'd take me hat off to him. I'm sure there will be a photo in the next Lib Dem Froze-Us newsletter. I am sure there will be people now calling him Sasquatch, The Abominable Snow Plough or Big Foot-In-it, but I didn't see them out on the streets.
Well done to you Sir, but you missed the most important by the Yates boozer, I mean I'm bad enough when I've had a skinfull but with this ice, I could seriously spill some of me pint when I am having a fag outside. So a bit more planning next time.
A lady comes up to me the other day and she says "Here Max, the Abominable Snowman is standing for parliament"
I says, the Abominable Snowman, has he got any supporters?
She says, " Not Yeti hasn't"