February 2011 Archives

And so the horses are in the starting blocks ahead of the political battle I suspect most of the country couldn't care less about. The vote on how we should vote in the future. I learnt while covering the Regional Assembly debate in the North East that a political debate John Prescott is vocal in is generally one which the public don't give a monkey's about.

Prescott, now Lord Prescott, is placing himself in the 'no to AV' camp, aligning himself with the Tory camp, led by prime minister David Cameron. Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg is becoming the posterboy for the yes vote, joined by Labour lights such as Lord Mandelson and Ed Miliband.

Tories on one side, Lib Dems on the other, Labour flip-flopping inbetween. Have Labour and Lib Dems had a personality swap?

The problem with debates such as this is that they expose the huge gulf in priorities between those who work in the Westminster bubble and the rest of us. Tens of thousands of words will be written between now and the summer on the AV debate, but there's little to show that anyone other than the already-politically active actually cares.

I've never met Councillor Richard Kemp, but I feel as though I know him very well. He's never off the radio, TV or out of the media raising his fist in anger - or mild annoyance, which would describe his vocal range more suitably - about the cuts to local government.

He's the man the media turn to as the voice of local government because he seems to be the most senior member of the Local Government Association prepared to go on the record as a defender of local government.

In recent weeks, phrases like 'gun boat diplomacy' and 'bully boy tactics' have been used to describe the way local government secretary Eric Pickles has handled the cuts being passed to local government.