Well, it’s been a while and so much has happened.

Firstly me!!  On New Year’s Day I collapsed and was rushed to the Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.  I was able to conduct a first-hand assessment of the NHS.  I had split my lip – diving head first into a wooden floor is not really to be recommended! – and after all the other tests were completed, blood pressure, pulse, oxygen content, ECG etc., my lip was stitched and I was sent home.  The rest of the day was spent watching TV and that really was a trial.  Anyway, I collapsed again at midnight and was rushed back to the HRI for all the same tests to be rerun.  All was standard yet again.  So I was admitted and finally was advised, late that day (2nd January) that I might have a pulmonary embolism, but then what’s in a name, eh?  This was confirmed the next day after a CT scan.  Now that was interesting – I was told that a drug would be injected into a vein and as it made its way around the body it would give the same feeling as drinking a cheap brandy in a bar in France.  Whey-hey!  It did.  The scan confirmed the blood clots and I am now a warfarin user and probably will be for ever.  I am now feeling much better and am really getting into this re-election thing.

So, how have the politics been.  The Fire Authority have been battling away with the massive reductions in central Government funding and the gross imbalances between the shire counties (mainly Tory areas) and the Metropolitan areas (mainly Labour).  I am the only LibDem chair of a Metropolitan Fire Authority and that’s a bit of a conundrum.  So we have set up a lobbying plan of campaign and I am hoping this will have a measure of success.

Locally in Kirklees, I basically missed January, but we have set a budget and the LibDems were successful in securing funding to retain the library service and the public toilets.  We have also positively influenced the manner in which the Children Centres will be managed.  Labour is not really looking to the future, rather fighting old battles that should have been filed a long time ago.  The Conservatives, on the other hand, appear to be away with the fairies, or should I say “on another planet”.  Their budget amendments were inaccurate and mathematically unsound.  Indeed, to try to divert attention from their lack of vision, they have embarked on two specific campaigning programmes – to split Kirklees and create a bigger council with Calderdale (without much support from Calderdale!!) and the cancel the LDF consultation and start it all over again.  But, to demonstrate how really silly they are, neither idea was backed up in their budget amendments with the required funding.  Even Mr Pickles, the Government Minister has stated that there are no plans for a geographical reorganisation of Local Government.  So it’s all fudge, smaoke and mirrors and no substance.

I am now very busy with the campaign for re-election.  The previous Labour candidate has been replaced with a lady from Greenhead.  And the Tories have found an ex-Independent from Golcar.  So far, I have received one Tory leaflet – we are in the process of delivering my second – and it was pretty uninformative.  No substance, no new policies, no principles.  Same old, same old I suppose.

Well, it’s a lovely day and I must away to Marsden.  And I’ve got to remember how to publish this stuff!!