I hope Gordon Brown is allowed a quiet holiday in Suffolk and I mean that most sincerely - politicians do need a life outside of politics, particularly private time with their families.
Gordon Brown has actually made a really good choice for once, the Suffolk coast not only has award winning beaches, but also has the best summer weather in the UK - same average summer temperatures as Devon and Cornwall, but only half the number of rainy days.
However, if Gordon Brown doesn't get left alone (as he should be) on his summer hols, then Hazel Blears the Communities Secretary and local Waveney MP Bob Blizzard (Labour majority 5,915) may have something to answer for. Local Labour MP Bib Blizzard has been pushing for the creation of a unitary council encompassing both Lowestoft (Suffolk) and Great Yarmouth (Norfolk) - a proposal strongly opposed by both local councils, but which would create a 'safe' Labour council (surprise!). So, Hazel Blears instructed the Boundary Commission to review local councils in Suffolk and Norfolk. However, Ms Blears only allowed them to look at setting up unitary authorities, specifically forbidding them from looking at the status quo (which funnily enough happens to be predominantly Conservative controlled district councils). She also required the Boundary Commission to look at creating a Lowestoft-Yarmouth ('Yartoft') unitary council. The actions of Hazel Blears and local MP Bob Blizzard have now resulted in the Boundary Commission coming up with two alternative proposals for Suffolk - BOTH of which put the historic Suffolk town of Lowestoft under a Norfolk unitary council - effectively moving it from Suffolk to Norfolk - entirely against the very strongly felt wishes of the local people!
Now I have just started teaching at a school near the area and Suffolk people are to say the least rather upset about the Boundary Commission's proposals to scrap local district councils ('why fix it when it isn't broke?'). In fact, in Lowestoft they are absolutely livid about being moved from Suffolk into Norfolk. Councillor Mark Bee, the Conservative leader of Waveney District Council memorably described it as 'a dog's breakfast, in fact the more I think about it - I wouldn't even give it to my dog!'
Suffolk folk are an essentially conservative folk who really don't like change being forced upon them. But mercifully for Gordon Brown on his hols - we are also on the whole a fairly polite and hospitable people. No one's likely to slow hand clap Gordon out of the local pub - as Londoners recently did to School's Secretary Ed Balls.
BUT, I dare say that even in Suffolk there may well be a few aggrieved local people who will want to bend Gordon's ear on a rather pressing local political issue...
If so, Gordon should know exactly who to blame and insist that Hazel Blears cleans up the mess she and local MP Bob Blizzard have created and reject both of the Boundary Commission's proposals for Suffolk, let Lowestoft stay in Suffolk and above all let local people decide for themselves whether they want an expensive reorganisation of local government imposed on them by the Labour government just weeks before the government is forced to call the next general election.
Party differences aside I really do hope Gordon Brown and his family are allowed a quiet family holiday - everyone deserves that.
But Gordon Brown, Hazel Blears and the likes of Bob Blizzard really do need to listen to local people, instead of trying to impose things on local people in the vain hope of gaining some party political advantage.
