An evening with the Prime Minister

One of the perks of the job is the annual invite to 10 Downing Street for the regional media reception. So it was off to Mr C's pad last night along with other editors and publishers the length and breadth of the country. A few even pop over from Northern Ireland. Due to the change of government it meant it was my third in about 11 months. And all have been very different. Just over a year ago Gordon Brown entertained us in what turned out to be a rather fevered atmosphere with virtually the entire cabinet out in force with what seemed to be a genuine attempt at getting a handle from local editors about what was happening on the ground. There was a distinct feeling that they could just scrape home at the forthcoming election - whether that was just denial or optimism based on reality, I don't know. Second time around in the summer and we trooped up for cocktails at chez Cam and while the PM was working the room assiduously and with his normal charm and ease, there were a distinct lack of 'Team Cameron', who were presumably preoccupied with the business of a new government. Last night it was just the man himself, from what I could gather, and we got a 'speech' which hasn't happened before. There was a message to get across to the assembled ranks and the prime minister wasn't going to miss this opportunity. He wanted 'an intelligent debate' in the regions about cuts and the Big Society. His government had given the media to tools to open up local government to their audiences and he wanted 'something in return'.