A month ago no-one had heard of police and crime commissioners. Now they seem to be everywhere, but are we any closer to finding out what the candidates would actually do in office?
They all agree the priority is to cut crime. Well, forgive me, but what have the police been trying to do all these years?
With the largest helmet badge of any police force in England and Wales, Hampshire and Isle of Wight's police constables certainly stand out.
And they've got a big job to do - 220 miles of motorway and trunk roads, 253 miles of coastline, and whilst there are no major metropolitan areas, the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth in the south and towns Aldershot and Farnborough in the north see their fair share of serious crime.
The Transit used to be everywhere. White van man's transport of choice.
Southampton took a real pride in the fact that for 45 years they were produced here, six million made in Britain and transported through the docks to destinations around the world.
Southampton's troubled Ford Transit van factory faces closure, according to local Conservative MP Caroline Nokes.
The MP for Romsey and Southampton North said: "I've always had concerns for the future of the factory and it now looks like there will be an announcement tomorrow indicating that it's going to close.
With the largest helmet badge of any police force in England and Wales, Hampshire and Isle of Wight's police constables certainly stand out.
And they've got a big job to do - 220 miles of motorway and trunk roads, 253 miles of coastline, and whilst there are no major metropolitan areas, the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth in the south and towns Aldershot and Farnborough in the north see their fair share of serious crime.
The European Competition Commissioner JoaquĆn Almunia has stepped in to the row between Liverpool and Southampton ports over cruise ships and state subsidy.
Liverpool City Council started running turnaround cruises from a temporary terminal at the end of May.
Driven by a week of public anger at the banking system, the announcement of an independent review is acknowledgement of the need to call those responsible to account.
It's not yet clear who will lead the review of how banks were able to fiddle their own lending rates but it will be independent, and will report before the end of summer, with the possibility of new criminal sanctions either for individuals or institutions.
It's the last-minute call every discussion programme producer dreads: "I'm sorry, your guest isn't available after all."
After days of negotiations to obtain the perfect panel, plans are thrown into confusion. Every alternative guest realises they're being called at the last minute.
Combine three words - Blair, Murdoch, Iraq - and the result has to be a front page newspaper headline.
So the Guardian's serialisation of Alastair Campbell's diaries produces a storm, but has it really told us any more about the influence of the press on public policy? Or where the line should be drawn in deciding what is undue influence?
Cabinet Minister David Willetts has joined the debate about whether the Royal Navy should place orders with Scottish shipyards whilst their future in the UK is under discussion.
The Liberal Democrat leader of Portsmouth Council has called for a ban on new orders being given to Glasgow shipyards until after a referendum on independence.
Is it the press pack hunting Chris Huhne, or politicians scenting the chance of a leg-up?
The papers have again been full of reshuffle speculation. But the investigation by Essex Police into claims Mr Huhne passed speeding points onto someone else has been running since May and there may yet be further twists.
This year the finalists of the Schools Questions and Answers competition will host a live BBC debate, and get a tour of Parliament.
The idea is to move on from the popular Schools Question Time, where teenagers took over David Dimbleby's TV programme for the evening, and give schools a wider introduction to the world of Westminster.
Katia Zatuliveter managed to prove a negative at the Special Immigration hearing and convince three judges, including a former head of MI5, that she should not be deported on grounds of national security.
For the 13 years that Labour ran the country there was a constant complaint here in the South of England.
It was that taxpayers' money (and so much of the government's tax revenue does come from the South) was being systematically siphoned off to other parts of the country.
Peter Henley has been a reporter in the South of England for more than 20 years, covering five elections and interviewing all the party leaders since Edward Heath.
Favourite assignments include flying to Antigua at three hours' notice to report on a volcano erupting and mysteriously being unable to come straight home.
Peter enjoys old cars, new gadgets and playing cricket. He lives in the New Forest with his three sons and wife Sam, who's a counsellor.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.