View from Westminster, 6th January

Happy New Year

The new year started well, an end to a decade, goodbye 'noughties' and welcome the 'teenies' or whatever else it comes to be called. New Years Day itself was great. The sun shone and the sea shone in Teignmouth, taking on the feel of an Edwardian promenade as the whole town seemed to be out for a stroll. It's 20 years since we moved to Teignmouth from Exmouth and most of the people I have met since then seemed to be there. It was a lovely day.

New Years Eve

Seaside towns in Devon are getting a reputation for being the place to be on New Years Eve. Four years ago the Guardian put any Devon resort as the 4th best place to be in the UK to see out the old year. Again this year another national paper quoted by the BBC put Teignmouth in its top ten places to be on the eve. The whole town seems to get into a party mood and don fancy dress. Perhaps with the bitter cold wind there were slightly fewer this year and the costumes were often covered as people went from one place to another, but that does not take away from the fun of it and the friendliness. We were back home for the chimes and watched the pipers on Jools Holland's 'Hootenany[' but as we made our way up Higher Brimley, more people descended into the town centre. A great night.

Resolution

Of course New Year is a time for new year resolutions and with an election coming, politicians are in the fore of making promises. Of course resolutions are to stop doing something we should not do, smoke, drink too much, eat to much etc and perhaps to do good things more often like, remember to say please and thank you. Resolutions for the new year are simply changing our lives for the better. So what should politicians resolve? With politics in such low regard there is plenty of scope for change. Of course if the tabloid media were also to make a few resolutions too! With the likelihood of 'Fox' style TV news coverage in the UK, that one is certainly going in the wrong direction.

Resolution 2, 10:10

And what of my resolutions. One of course I have already made last year when I signed up to the Guardian newspaper/Age of Stupid filmmakers 10:10 campaign to cut my carbon emissions by 10% in 2010. Extra insulation and extra double glazing at home are part of that plan. Cutting down on car use and greater use of public transport will also help as will an extra jumper at home rather than just turning the central heating up. To move this forward, I am also determined to cut my carbon emissions when I have to drive and so my MG will be in the garage and to get around I have a five year old Toyota Prius. It is a remarkable car, a hybrid with a small petrol engine and an electric engine which is charged by kinetic energy. The new Prius is so carbon low that is has a zero car tax (mine is £15). The electronic display also keeps you up to date on how many miles per gallon you are achieving which is certainly making me more mindful when I drive. I will keep the MG for emergencies and Sundays, for it will always be fun to drive with hood down on a summer day.

Punch and Judy

Only a hermit living on a remote island could be unaware of the impending election as claims and counter claims between Labour and the Conservatives filled the new year day's air with the odour of low politics.

Officially the election campaign has started as the law changed last year on election funding which limits local election funding not just in the 3 week 'short' campaign but also in the 6 months before the latest date for the end of a Parliament. So there is now a spending cap on what candidates can spend from January 1st until the beginning of June. If the election is called early, then only a proportion of this can be used. There is also a limit on national spending but this is ridiculously large at £18 million, making it possible for parties to spend £25 million in total.

Certainly the Conservatives are budgeting to spend the full monty, having sold off their Smith Square offices to pay off their debt from the last election. Labour are estimated to have about £3 million in the war chest and are predicted to raise a further £2 million. The Liberal Democrats will spend less than half of this.

The problem with the national figures is that it includes direct mail shots from Party leaders to individuals. Such mail shots target 'swing' voters and they can expect up to 10 letters between now and election day from David Cameron, fewer from the other party leaders.

Like 2007 when John Major fought a long campaign, starting in the January with an official 6 weeks in the run up to polling day, many electors will be heartily sickened by the whole process. In addition to this excess from the top, will be the affect on the ground. So expect phone calls, door knocking, leaflets, letters and the letters' page of the local paper filled with bile as campaign managers coerce party members to write letters slagging off the opposition.

It is no worse now than it was 100 years ago and certainly better than 200 years ago but really can't we regulate our elections better to at least get a sensible cap on spending and stop the £millions being wasted on negativity.