[Cyclefrance]

Like so many countries, the UK has done well because globally the markets have been coping well (India and China expansion offering low-cost consumables) despite the oil market seeing rising prices that otherwise would have spun a global recession. The UK has also benefitted from eastern block labour gaining access to our shores and providing competitive labour. This has all buoyed our economy. IMO had Labour, or any other government, mismanaged their assets under different circumstances then we would be in disastrous state - thankfully we aren't that far damaged.

Our government has wasted £billions on badly managed initiatives. The improvements that have come through are totally disproportionate to the amount of investment. We have social problems that are escalating rather than receding and little evidence that our government has the substance to back up the gloss they attempt to paint over every area of concern.

As a worker, I am taxed at every turn. As a married couple our tax system penalises us further. When we do need to call upon the system to support us it fails miserably. The one time we had the need to call out the police they declined to come; when my son had to call upon emergency medical assistance it took nearly six hours to get to see a doctor who could treat him, and it meant driving to two different hospitals to achieve even this. My wife works in the education system dealing with truancy - she has seen an ongoing deterioration in school attendance and in discipline over the years (she has been in her job for 9 years).

If Dana is seeing improvements and contentment where she is located, I can only tell her that this is not the case where we are. The Blair years and regime gave us empty promises. Brown was an instrumental part of that regime. He is showing significant signs of taking a different approach now, but my main concern is his ability to deliver - he hasn't done so effectively in the past.

We actually don't want a laissez-faire approach - that isn't far removed from what we have now - i.e. the government promises it will make change but either fails to make resources available to do so, or else throws money at a problem without managing its use. We want the problems grabbed by the throat and dealt with cohesively, professionally and effectively. I cannot recall any time that our current government has managed to achieve this in any shape or form - note Blair's scrabbling around trying to define his legacy.

Plenty more I could add, but a busy day tomorrow and less than 6 hours sleep already on the cards. Maybe time tomorrow night to continue.