The first year of Labour’s second term

by Bob Russell, Liberal Democrat M.P. for Colchester

Parliamentary life, both in the House of Commons and in my Colchester constituency, continues to be as hectic as ever. However, the arrival of Norman Lamb MP (the victor of North Norfolk) has been a great boost to the party both in the region and in Westminster. Not only has this meant a sharing of the regional television workload, which has got to be a bonus for the viewers, it has also helped raise the Liberal Democrat profile across the region. The contrast is excellent: he represents a mainly rural and coastal constituency, while I represent a compact urban seat. Unkind people have also observed that he is younger, better looking and more intelligent! Putting that to one side, what is politically important is that with two Commons seats the party is now regarded more seriously in the East of England than at any time since it was formed.

With our local government power base in various parts of the region, coupled with the two Westminster MPs and East of England Euro MP Andrew Duff, we are in a strong position to build on these foundations – to win more Council seats and increase the number of MPs and MEPs. We have shown that it can be done, but it will not come easily. Teamwork and targetting remain as important as ever.

On a personal note, the thing I have noticed most in my five years as MP is the steady growth of casework. It is taking up more and more of my time, and that of my staff. People are increasingly more likely to complain about anything and everything, and often they go straight to their MP when perhaps a more appropriate route would be their local councillor for matters which are purely of a council nature. In our literature perhaps we should give councillors a higher profile – they have an important role to play in our fortunes, so let's use them to the full.

In Parliament we have established ourselves as the "effective" opposition. In home affairs, education, health and pensions it is clearly the Liberal Democrats who are doing more than the Conservatives to challenge the Government. Conservative "Opposition" has been poor. Labour's performance in government has been disappointing over the past five years. Our job is to expose issues where Labour has failed, particularly in the delivery of public services, and to hammer home our message as the party which not only wants better public services but more democratic accountability to the communities we serve.

I am delighted to say that in May Colchester Liberal Democrats bought our own headquarters, a former church hall. This has been achieved with the formation of a company with members buying shares. Part of the building is to be converted into offices for myself and my staff, with the rest being available to the constituency party for meetings and fund-raising. My new constituency address is: Magdalen Hall, Wimpole Road, Colchester CO1 2DE; telephone 01206 506600.

Finally, enjoy a brief respite from politics over the summer, provided you make a pledge to return in the autumn refreshed and determined to take the Liberal Democrats forward to further success. That is my aim. May your Focus continue to prosper!