2006: a year in review (part 1) and perhaps the odd award...

I cannot deny that 2006 has been pretty eventful, so much so that any review will need to be done in parts. So let's start at the beginning...

As January came in, I was probably nursing a hangover. I had tendered an astonishingly heroic (i.e. phenomenally impractical) resignation as Regional Secretary, an election campaign was beginning to come to the boil, a good deed was coming to fruition, and there were rumours that our leader was in trouble. Of course, I didn't believe a word of it...

And as if by magic, Charles Kennedy was gone. I spent most of my time complaining about being ignored before I finally endorsed Chris Huhne. It didn't help, as he went down to fairly glorious defeat, making the third candidate to have had my support and go on to fail (Alan Beith and David Rendel, before you ask...).

From a personal perspective, the campaign was enlivened by the astonishing coinicidence that was my response to the doomed attempt by our Party President to do something about diversity amongst our elected representatives. The fact that it became linked to the Reflecting Britain campaign forced all three leadership candidates to sign up. Whilst the motion didn't pass unamended, thanks to a spectacularly late intervention by Chris Rennard and Simon Hughes, and some astonishing naivety on my part (alright, James Graham warned me at the time and subsequently), the groundwork was laid for the new diversity fund designed to support ethnic minority and women candidates in winnable seats. I've got my doubts, but...

I also returned for another stint as Regional Secretary. I couldn't stay away, and it seemed that nobody wanted me to do so anyway. They're all mad, of course...

Closer to home, the election campaign which had started optimisitically was becoming almost obsessive. The campaign team had me delivering leaflets and even canvassing, although I managed to find time to upset one of my Conservative opponents. History records that we overturned a 500+ Labour majority, turning it into a 650 vote majority for our gallant crew. Unfortunately, having upset most of my local Tories, we ended up forming a coalition with them...

Time for my first award, that of most delicate political opponent, which goes to Cllr Robin Crookshank Hilton. Alright, I did crack a series of frog jokes, but did offer a sincere apology. Robin didn't accept the apology, or the gift, and I trust that Andy Mayer, and his partner, Helen, enjoyed the bottle of late harvest Riesling that Robin turned down. By the way, if Robin is reading this, I replaced that bottle in June...

Otherwise, I was beginning to drown in a sea of paper, although it wasn't causing me anywhwere near as much trouble as Tessa Jowell was having with hers. And so it seems obvious that the award for worst financial advice of the year should go to David Mills.

With that though, I think that I'll bring this piece to a close. More tomorrow...