2006 finished with a monumental show of support for services at the West Cumberland Hospital. 4,000 people from all over West Cumbria marched through Whitehaven in support of the services and this year will see the campaign intensify further. Such a public display was important for many reasons and it’s my hope that public involvement in other areas of decision making will grow throughout 2007 - never forget that politicians don’t have power, people have power and they can exercise it in whichever way they want, whenever they want.

I have spoken and written many times of my personal dissatisfaction with the arcane, detached nature of Parliament from ordinary people, but this illustrates precisely why politics is so vitally important to all of us. At a time of widespread disengagement with politics and politicians (and I do understand why) politics has never mattered more. At the same time, politics is too important a job to be left wholly to the politicians. As a politician, I welcome marches, petitions and rallies - these are important parts of the political fabric, so in 2007, please keep on marching.

Less than a week back at Westminster and already the in-tray is full and the desk is creaking. Amongst the mass of papers (so far) two new common sense initiatives grab my attention immediately.

First of all, the government proposals for a new drive to help prevent victims of domestic violence from being forced out of their own homes with their families being uprooted and made homeless. The government wants every local authority to offer sanctuary schemes to their residents and has published new guidance explaining how they can be set up. A sanctuary scheme provides a safe room, or sanctuary, within a home fitted with safety measures, including: installation of alarms; mortice locks; security lights; reinforced door frame; window grilles; smoke detectors; emergency lights; emergency lights; fire blankets and CCTV. This gives the victim the confidence and security to stay in their own home if they wish.

Secondly, new powers are to be given to residents groups (should they apply for them and pass all the necessary criteria) to apply for ASBOs for people within their community or on their estate who persistently behave in an anti-social manner. As someone who once worked as a Housing Officer I welcome this new power for residents’ groups - nobody knows how to improve an estate better than the people who live there.

If (like me) you accumulated a massive amount of paper and plastic rubbish over the Christmas period, please recycle it. Recycling is undoubtedly a chore most of us can do without but it is incredibly important and hopefully, will be second nature to our children and grandchildren when it's their turn to brave the torrential rain and howling gales and wheel their bins to the kerb in decades to come.

And finally, keep an eye out for my mobile surgeries taking place soon. The next dates and venues are Cleator Moor, The Phoenix Centre at 11am -12-30, Frizington, St Josephs Church Hall 13-30- 1500 and Arlecdon Adams Hall at 15-30 – 16-30 all on Friday the 19th January.  Egremont on Friday 9th February at 10am in the Market Hall. I hope to see you there.