Happy New Year

Happy New Year! As 2011 dawns it is with some trepidation that I look at the prospects for the months ahead. As the Prime Minister pointed out in his New Year message there are clearly some tough times facing the country in this coming year. The impact of the VAT increase, changes to spending levels and concerns about increased interest rates will dominate household concerns but there is also a deeper sense that the changes the Government are making will lead to a fundamental improvement in the outlook for the country. Today the UK is rather like someone who has been building up a large credit card debt coming out of a meeting with a debt adviser - if certain sensible short term disciplines are followed there is every hope that prosperity will return when the debts are cleared.

However, I am not flippant about the difficulties many in my constituency and beyond will face this year. We still have no certainty on the future of the HPA at Porton, there are many on low incomes who are anxious about how benefit changes will impact them. There are individual "cases" that are in process with my office where tough personal circumstances need quick interventions from various agencies of Government so that lives can be improved. As I said on the morning of 7th May when I was elected I will continue to strive to be the most effective advocate and representative I can for the people of Salisbury and South Wiltshire in 2011 and my office is ready to help where we can.

On the national politics front, the Referendum on AV will take place in May. I will be voting against this change as I don't think AV is a better alternative to the first-past-the-post system though I feel like a footballer asked to comment on the rules of his own game when discussing this matter. It will be for the people to decide and that is how it should be.

I also think 2011 will be the year when the Coalition beds down - the novelty of the once in a generation arrangements of two parties sharing power has taken some getting used to - for MPs and the commentators who are used to a two- party dynamic and find the disagreements difficult to plot in the mental map of the political landscape that has arisen in the last 30 years. In 2011 the disagreements will be less remarkable as they will be expected as two parties see things differently - though perhaps when decisions are made at cabinet there will need to be more discipline in how the settled will is then justified by all members of the Government.

The debate around the proposed constitutional changes to the House of Lords and the electoral system will provoke a lively debate in the country but the key challenge for 2011 will be to see debts progressively reduced as the economy recovers and growth returns to UK plc – bringing prosperity and optimism for the long term health of our country. It will be an exciting year and of course one thing we can guarantee is that much will happen that we could contemplate today. I wish all my constituents and their families a happy and fulfilled 2011!

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