MY NEW YEAR TRADITION

I'm not sure when the tradition started but I always go out into the garden on New year's day for the first weeding session of the year. I tell myself that for every weed I pull out now there's a further ten I won't have to pull out later in the year (and that's a conservative estimate). Some years it has been a real struggle, cold weather head throbbing, today however was a joy, not too cold, no hangover (we stayed in and ate roast chicken and shared a bottle of champagne).

I love the turn of the year it fills me with optimism, the days getting longer and the warmth of summer to look forward to. The winter garden is naked waiting for its spring outfit so I like to look out for the gaps that need filling (if I don't fill them with something I like then mother nature will certainly choose something for me which may or may not fit my somewhat disorganised design).
The transformation by June is quite startling all that life waiting to spring up, my roll is one of minimal interference, if plants don't like my garden then I don't try and grow them again I just stick with the many plants that do.

I hope this year that our country can achieve a similar renewal with a change in our political landscape.

DAVID CAMERON'S INCREDIBLE JOURNEY

I've just finished watching "David Cameron' s Incredible Journey " on the BBC. I have to say it's left me feeling slightly depressed and I'm not really quite sure why. Even allowing for the BBC's usual editorial slant I wish I could believe a little more whole heartedly in his ability to keep the party all pulling in the same direction.

It seems that "leadership=PR prowess" these days in the eyes of world. This is a real problem for any leader as the two main parties are such broad churches that the balancing act between party and media is often impossible to achieve. The programme certainly showed David Cameron's ups and downs in this respect, his conference speech was a genuine masterpiece and one can only admire his ability to speak without a script. There are however still major gaps in my understanding of his policy on some areas (am I missing something?).

I would like to know how he intends to deal with the EU problems that Labour have landed us with, at some point he has to stand up to the old guard in the Conservative party (unless of course he's one of them but isn't telling us) and put forward a policy for a much more robust attitude towards a federal Europe.

I should also say I am not anti Europe I am pro democracy and the current EU set up has no hint of democracy and a large whiff of hypocrisy.