If there's nothing to talk about, let's get on with the election

It turns out this particular Parliamentarian, speaking off the record, does at the moment.

I've been recommended the Robert Harris novel, An Officer And A Spy, which the anonymous MP has managed to race through thanks to an unusually long prorogation of Parliament (if we were unkind we might say 'holiday').

When Her Majesty's official State Opening of Parliament contained a speech of merely 10 minutes there were claims that the Coalition Government had 'run out of steam'. But with an election next year the Coalition also cannot risk running out of time for any crucial legislation to get through both Houses.

And that's where the old element of surprise the Prime Minister had to just call the election came in handy. Not that there was ever really much surprise about it. But the next plebiscite was never a date someone could mark in their five year diary as soon as the newly elected Prime Minister had given that customary wave on the steps of Downing Street. That changed when the Coalition introduced fixed term Parliaments. So the election campaign is underway now.

At least if there is a long battle for Number 10 it might do something to address low turnout as everyone will be left in no doubt that it's happening.

But by May we'll have all had all we can manage of Miliband, say we cannot care less for Cameron and Clegg and be suffering from Farage fatigue.

Austin tries to grasp the referendum nettle

Labour MP Ian Austin has called for a referendum on Europe to be held before the next election.

His stance is at odds with his own party, which only considers a referendum necessary if there is a transfer of powers to Brussels.

Like it or not, the rise of UKIP means the Tories and eventually Labour are going to have to grasp this nettle. David Cameron says he'll do it by the end of 2017 but only if he wins the next election.

Dudley North MP Ian Austin's plan, while not popular with either of the big parties, would mean whoever wins next year governs knowing whether or not they are going to have to withdraw Britain from the union. If the referendum is delayed, the next five years will mean the government having to come up with a plan for each eventuality.

Well at least it would give them something to do.

Can Kelly unite the Tories and UKIP?

Dudley South MP Chris Kelly has extended an olive branch to newly elected Labour and UKIP councillors and offered to work with them.

He's sent his contact details and even goes far enough to say what many Tories dare not: "UKIP are our political cousins."

UKIP loves to say how it takes votes off Labour as much as it from the Tories, evidenced by its council seat gains in areas like Coseley.

The big picture shows it's the Tories who suffer most.

Tony Blair won three terms because he appealed to the centre ground, as opposed to core Labour supporters who would never have voted Tory had their lives depended on it.

What Chris Kelly is doing now is talking about how he shares 'somewhere in the region of three-quarters of the views of the UKIP councillors elected'.

He will have to avoid appearing to dilute the things that attracted former Labour voters to him in the first place. But if the Tories want to neutralise UKIP the election will be fought not on the centre ground, but on common ground.