In times of turbulence look for a good anchorage: to protect Britain from the ravages of a turbulent global environment Gordon should seriously consider steering Britain firmly into the heart of the European Union. OK so we are members, but we could still choose to be free of the unnecessary bureaucracy that goes with having our own currency and visa area.

With the current slowdown in financial markets and the continuing strength of the Euro, now is as good a time as ever to launch a referendum campaign for Britain to join the Euro.

At least in conventional international relations terms the world seems safer this month than last, particularly over potential future conflicts with Iran and Russia.

 

But enough of carry on, eh? What seems a little puzzling is the timing of the recent complaints on defence spending, particularly given that it is only two months since the Comprehensive Spending Review, which was the culmination of months of detailed debate, and following on from which there is little immediate fiscal flexibility.

Greengauge21, the campaign group led by Jim Steer a former head of strategic planning for the Strategic Rail Authority, has recently released on its website a document outlining a feasible strategy for developing a UK wide high speed rail network.

I wonder in all the focus on polls today it hasn’t passed some people by that when most people are polled they understand the consequences of their answers, and use the answers to send messages. And I am sure most Labour supporters don’t see any need to take the risk of an election any time soon. People understand when there is a year to go events can come along – the 2001 election was delayed and everyone stood down at the last minute because of foot and mouth – but three years to go is a different thing. In current circumstances tory supporters are going to emphasize their desire for a poll. There is a research project here no doubt, but as every one says, both politicians and pollsters, polls by themselves don’t tell you the best thing to do, they are just one form of evidence. I’m glad the BBC are backing off from their earlier claims that Gordon wasn’t influenced by polls, because he said they were one consideration, which actually makes a change from politicians appearing to suggest they pay them no attention.

What advice do people have to Gordon for the General Election? My recommendation now would be this spring, to give time for a real national debate on our manifesto. Gordon’s premiership started with a commitment to constitutional change, to restore trust in politics and make Britain fairer. Despite the almost inevitable events that have obscured that purpose over the summer, it seems to me this remains the key to the political challenges that lie ahead. Announcing an intention for a spring election when Parliament returns, following an intensive winter of debate, has the political merit that Gordon cannot be accused of bottling it, but neither can he be accused of calling an election just for a personal mandate.

In defence of the proposition that there can be a role for poetry in transport planning I offer the following.

First class degree in politics from the University of Oxford, but only a double third from the university of by-election life.  Great spoof of ‘The David Cameron Diaries’ by Hugo (son of Tory MP Malcolm) Rifkind on Times Online. I particularly liked his Fantasy Shadow Cabinet at the end.

Well almost, what he actually said, according to the FT, was “Labour won, the Liberal Democrats did well, and Mr Lit, the Tory candidate, and former Labour party donor, who stood under the banner of David Cameron’s Conservatives, did extremely badly”.

Mark Malloch-Brown, former head of UN Development Program, and Deputy to Kofi Annan, is being made Lord and cabinet attending, presumably based in FCO. So non Labour person attending cabinet. What do people think? For me seems good to bring in people with relevant experience. Was at last Tory conference, but presumably oficially neutral.

The Times online today has a story about a proposal for a high speed rail link, initially to Birmingham.

A quick scan through today’s online broadsheets turned up this comment piece in today’s torygraph by Irwin Stelzer, at a critical point in the Deputy Leader campaign. Basically, Wolfowitz could have stayed at the World Bank if it hadn’t been for Hilary supporting our EU partners who wanted Wolfowitz out just because of Iraq.

I'm not proposing a simple set of rules like `people should deal with people' and `violence should be met with a proportional response' but reviewing Lewis Page's recently out in paperback `Lions, Donkeys and Dinosaurs: Waste and Blundering in the Military.' While I'm not sure it's the final word on defence procurement, his essential point is that this is an area that although in historical terms has always been a key concern of Parliament, in recent decades has not attracted nearly as much attention as issues such as schools and hospitals. And while I would like to see health and education much more driven by local accountability, defence with its umbilical link to national sovereignty should always be a central concern of Parliament.

Britain in the days of empire was renowned for the exercise of gunboat diplomacy, a term the current incident with crewmembers of HMS Cornwall has returned to currency. But the nineteenth century is long gone, and new challenges exist, particularly driven by global population growth and climate change, leading to vast numbers of fragile communities at risk from natural disasters and conflict. A Commonwealth helicopter carrier network could offer the world an emergency response service to deal with natural disasters or local conflicts involving commonwealth citizens, and be available for UN service, independently in small-scale peace enforcement, or as part of a larger force.

Before the media murmurings on who will be up, and who down, in Gordon's first cabinet turns into a cacophony, it makes sense to discuss what we would like to see change. Progress are promoting the idea of a list of policy announcements over 100 days, but for me a more strategic approach would be more effective. Asked what his top three priorities would be, Tony famously said education, education, education - a very strong message, if somewhat lacking in depth. My top three would be security, prosperity and community.

Membership of the EU has brought massive benefits to Britain, not least because it has managed to reform itself over the 50 years of its existence, almost wholly on the basis of treaties agreed unanimously every few years. With the internal market now largely complete from the Atlantic to the Black Sea, popular support for further reform needs a clear vision of what will be achieved. Climate change is one key issue, but there are others, particularly security, skills and trade.

Does Tony Blair's call for Britain to be strong on defence to support humanitarian intervention, alongside Gordon's record on economic competence and in contrast to David Cameron's pitching primarily for Guardian readers, mean we should now target 'traditional' Tory voters?

... just imagine ...