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This is where you can find my musings on the political scene from Westminster to the East Midlands
11:19 UK time, Friday, 17 May 2013
When King Coal ruled and dominated Britain's industrial landscape in the middle of the last century, there were 1,000 pits employing 750,000 miners.
Nottinghamshire - one of the most productive coalfields in Europe - had 47 collieries.
11:30 UK time, Wednesday, 8 May 2013
On the Trent Embankment outside Nottinghamshire's County Hall, people were making the most of the warm spring sunshine after the bank holiday break.
Inside County Hall, there was no time to relax. Furniture was being shifted and old policy documents shredded. Political power was switching.
22:50 UK time, Friday, 3 May 2013
John added analysis to:
Ed Miliband has been quick to congratulate the Labour leaders Alan Rhodes and Anne Western, who now run Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, two of the biggest shire counties in England.
Labour's victory in Nottinghamshire wasn't in the bag until the last handful of seats were declared just before teatime.
16:27 UK time, Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Those of you with longer memories may recall of impact of the humble soap box on an election campaign.
John Major claims his decision to ditch the glitzy PR approach to campaigning in favour of a soap box, helped him win in 1992.
14:05 UK time, Thursday, 18 April 2013
Now that the funeral of Margaret Thatcher is over, the journalists can hand over to the historians.
But why does she remain such a hugely divisive figure, 23 years after she left Downing Street?
16:15 UK time, Wednesday, 17 April 2013
John added analysis to:
It comes as no surprise that such a controversial and political figure should attract protests on today of all days.
I saw a small group of protesters attacking the £10m cost of the ceremony.
13:29 UK time, Friday, 12 April 2013
Who can blame him? When prime ministers feel the political heat of a slowing economy, they tend to head to Rolls Royce.
The Derby-based aero-engine works is something of a manufacturing comfort blanket for coalition politicians.
13:33 UK time, Tuesday, 2 April 2013
This will be of little comfort. After one of the coldest springs on record, the cost of keeping your home warm is going to increase.
And not just this spring, but for many more springs to come.
15:54 UK time, Wednesday, 20 March 2013
It's always rash to make an immediate assessment of the likely impact of any chancellor's Budget announcements. George Osborne had very little wriggle room in preparing his fourth Budget.
And no doubt, he would have looked over his shoulders at the political meltdown his Budget caused last year. A repeat of the pasty tax omnishambles would have been a career-limiting move indeed.
15:08 UK time, Friday, 8 March 2013
The Farming and Rural Affairs Secretary Owen Paterson is a no-nonsense sort of minister. His profile was certainly raised during the horse meat controversy.
But could his political stock also rise with his handling of another explosive issue: the EU's Common Agricultural Policy and its cash subsidies to farmers.
14:08 UK time, Friday, 1 March 2013
A speech, a slogan even just a single word can shape and sum up a political debate. How about these for starters: "No Taxation without Representation", "Votes for Women" or "Ban the Bomb".
In Nottinghamshire, the word " bung" has suddenly has entered the political lexicon. That's the description the county's opposition Labour leader used to describe the part-funding of a high profile road scheme.
17:12 UK time, Friday, 22 February 2013
The Green Party is holding its Spring Conference in Nottingham this weekend. But its choice of location is no coincidence.
The campus venue at Nottingham University is home to some of the latest research in creating eco-friendly homes.
16:19 UK time, Wednesday, 20 February 2013
When buildings burn, we expect the fire brigade. It's a public service funded by the tax payer. But a political row has been ignited by government plans to allow fire fighting and rescue to be outsourced and bring in private contractors.
That alarms Labour MP Chris Leslie, a former fire minister in the Blair government.
16:09 UK time, Wednesday, 13 February 2013
So where are the future jobs for my kids going to come from?
That was the rather exasperated question posed to me by a dad, who's funding his children through college.
13:53 UK time, Friday, 1 February 2013
The Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has the look of a foot soldier who has been lifted from the muddy trenches and into high command.
The Derbyshire Dales MP is a pretty likeable guy who carries a warm smile. He also has the appearance of a veteran politician who is panic-proof.
14:32 UK time, Friday, 25 January 2013
When the temperatures are falling, it's time to wrap up and turn up the central heating. But what if you can't afford the gas or electric bills?
For single dad John Wesley, it became a choice of heating or eating.
15:31 UK time, Friday, 18 January 2013
The Prime Minister's understandable decision to postpone his big Europe speech, won't delay for long the political heat this debate is generating.
If he is to offer the electorate a future referendum of our membership of the EU, prepare for the mother of all political war of words between the pro and anti EU camps.
12:06 UK time, Friday, 11 January 2013
The Castle pub in the Leicestershire town of Hinckley must have been a rather splendid establishment in its day.
Anyone heading into the town centre would have been attracted by its ornate gatework and alluring entrance.
11:31 UK time, Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Prime ministers can often find that complex problems have a habit of returning to cause political difficulties, especially so early in a new year.
It was no coincidence that David Cameron chose the impressive Royal Derby Hospital to unveil his latest NHS initiative.
16:34 UK time, Thursday, 20 December 2012
Without a sprig of mistletoe in sight, the Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has gone all festive.
He's never seen eye-to-eye with councillor Graham Chapman and the rest of the Labour leadership on Nottingham City Council. They've been exchanging political swipes on megaphone terms since deficit reduction cuts began squeezing council budgets.
John joined the BBC in 1978, and was appointed the East Midlands' first political editor in 1998.
Career highlights include interviewing four Prime Ministers and the many voters who wish they could.
John now lives near the Trent Bridge cricket ground, having returned to the Midlands in 1996.
Patrick Burns
Political editor, Midlands
Analysis and thoughts on politics in the Midlands
Tim Iredale
Political editor, Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
Analysis of politics in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
Andrew Neil
Daily and Sunday Politics
People and policies that make Westminster tick
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