The Year of the Boar

One of the many benefits of being part of a half Chinese household, apart from the excellent food, is that you get to celebrate New Year twice a year! So, I begin this month by wishing you Gong Xi Fa Cai (congratulations and be prosperous). Chinese New Year (which is also called Spring Festival) will be on the 18th February and it is going to be the Year of the Boar (Pig).

It is a tradition in Chinese families for the youngsters in the family to give their elders the following greeting: "Gong xi fa cai, hong bao na lai!". This means: "Congratulations and be prosperous. Give me a red envelope!". The older members of the family will then give the youngsters a red (for luck) or gold (for wealth) envelope with a gift of money.

Should you wish to bring good fortune upon yourself and the local party for this year's local elections then I am sure that Darren Briddock will be absolutely delighted to receive your golden envelopes!

One person for whom the Chinese New Year is not looking a pleasant prospect is Tony Blair. The "Cash for Honours" investigation rumbles on and Ed Davey MP was absolutely right to compare it with Watergate. It is the alleged cover-up that is far more damaging and erodes the trust of the British people in our political process. It can be no small coincidence that our support has grown back at the expense of both Labour and the Tories as the true champions of more open government.

Against the backdrop of this investigation our "We Can Cut Crime" campaign must look both ironic and timely.

Excellent campaigners, such as Tom McNeice and Darren Briddock are pushing to make Shepway a safer area for local people. This is in stark contrast to the actions of the Kent Police Authority who are seeking to cut police numbers by a staggering 35 in the South Kent Area. We must keep up the pressure on the Government to scrap those useless ID cards and give us more police instead.

Here's to a politically successful Year of the Boar!