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It’s clear that the Government has decided to try and seize the agenda in 2012. Parliament has returned from its Christmas break and any MPs who were hoping for a quiet first week back will have been disappointed. But are the Government’s plans already being de-railed?

On the first day back the Transport Secretary, Justine Greening, finally announced that the first stage of the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail line is set to go ahead. Skimping over the fact that the Government’s plans for High Speed Rail have already encountered ‘unavoidable delays’, Ms Greening outlined how the route will now include a number of additional tunnels in the Chilterns to mitigate the visual impact of the route. This apparent sop to Conservative heartlands may help placate some campaigners, as well as make life easier for local Tory MPs.   However one such MP, Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan, did not have the easiest of weeks – it was revealed that she recently sold her house in Amersham….located just a few hundred metres from the proposed route.  

More courageously, or should that be stupidly (?), the Government has tried to fast track a referendum on Scottish independence. The Prime Minister, determined not to go down in history as the English Tory who presided over the collapse of the Union, has said he wants a referendum to be held sooner rather than later. Needless to say this has provoked the ire of Alex Salmond who called Cameron’s intervention “Thatcheresque” and went on to announce that the referendum will take place in autumn 2014 – months before the next General Election.

We now have the tantalising prospect of David Cameron, George Osborne and, assuming he is still in post, Ed Miliband, locking horns with the most formidable Scottish politician for some time.

Despite being left on the platform this week, do not under-estimate Alex Salmond. He has been preparing for this battle far longer than any of his English adversaries. Given the unpopularity of the Coalition in Scotland, it might require a Scottish Labour figure to drive the Unionist cause. Is it time for John Reid, Alistair Darling or, dare I say it, Gordon Brown to take the helm and save the Union?

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The London Olympics will host the traditional boxing competition next summer but 2011 has been a thumping year for British politics. Knock out blows have been launched, jabs have been swerved, swings to the right and left have been witnessed. And Nick Clegg has spent a long time on the ropes.

Who would have predicted that Rupert Murdoch would be summoned to answer questions from MPs or that David Cameron would end the year ahead in the opinion polls?   

Yet these are just two developments in a year that has seen more than its share of political rumbles.   This was also the year that saw the resignation of a Defence Secretary for the first time; a referendum on the AV voting system; a state visit from President Obama; and an historic victory for the Scottish Nationalists in parliamentary elections north of the border. These events have occurred as the world economy teetered on the brink of collapse, the Eurozone has lurched from crisis to crisis and the UK Government admitted defeat in its attempts to eliminate the deficit by 2015.

Who said politics was boring and uneventful?!

So who are the winners and losers from the year and what can we look forward to in 2012?

Gold medal winners

Parliament – backbench MPs and Select Committees have reasserted their rights, ably assisted it must be said by Speaker Bercow. Tom Watson was the clear winner here having fought a long series of earlier bouts.   

David Cameron – the Coalition looks secure (if only because the Lib Dems would be massacred if there was an early election) and his stance on a new EU treaty has given him a huge boost in the polls. Rumours have already circulating that the PM might force an early election.

Ed Balls – promoted to Shadow Chancellor in January following Alan Johnson’s sudden resignation. Even if his economic strategy has failed to grab the attention of pundits, the weak performance of Ed Miliband means that the other Ed is perfectly placed for another tilt at the Labour leadership .

On the canvas

Nick Clegg – electoral reform is off the agenda following the referendum, his party suffered huge losses at the local elections in May, and he finds himself part of the most euro-sceptic UK Government for two decades. Is this what he came into politics to deliver? 

Liam Fox – the first Defence Secretary to resign his position is not the notable achievement he was searching for when he entered office.

Out for the count

Disgraced Parliamentarians – the fallout from the expenses scandal saw several  ex MPs and Peers serve time in a different institution this year. The House of Lords is currently deciding whether to allow guilty Peers to reclaim their seats.

Who will top the podium in 2012?

London election – the capital will be gripped by the Mayoral election in May. Expect Boris and Ken to make it an enjoyable campaign as they battle it out to win the third largest personal mandate of any European politician (after the presidents of France and Portugal)

Labour under pressure – Ed Miliband will need to improve his standing in the polls early in 2012 to prevent whispers growing louder about his performance as leader

Eurozone survival – will other EU leaders seek to go ahead with a new treaty change despite David Cameron’s infamous veto?

Of course the one person guaranteed to be top of the podium next year – in her 60^th year on the throne – is Her Majesty the Queen. The diamond jubilee will grant everyone a couple of extra bank holidays and at the end of July she will formally open the 30^th Olympic Games.

Another blockbuster year in prospect.   

So, at the eleventh hour, the DCLG Select Committee has published its long awaited report into the Government’s draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

At the heart of this debate, which has been played out in the pages of the Daily Telegraph over the summer, is the “presumption in favour of sustainable development”. There are many definitions of sustainable development, but this report clearly states that the Government should adopt the standard Brundtland Commission definition. I’m not sure whether communities on the ground actually care what definition is used!

Commentators and environmentalists have argued that the policy document, which replaces over 3, 000 pages of national planning guidance, is too heavily weighted towards economic growth. I would agree with that; planning is a matter of balance of a variety of interests, and the report clearly states that “sustainability” does means balancing social, environmental, and economic considerations.

The line of greatest contention has been that “the default answer to development should be yes”. The Select committee is clear that this should be removed as it is weighted far too much towards a single interest.

Restating of the supremacy of Local Plans within the NPPF is to be welcomed. Through our work with communities and developers, we find it absolutely vital to have certainty, which a Local Plan provides, and in the new world of localism this will be ever more important.

So, what next? Well the Government is being urged to undertake a further consultation to take account of this report. We can all agree that the old system was too bureaucratic, created perverse and inconsistent decisions, and was not easily accessible. What this debate, and the subsequent report have shown, is that planning, more than ever is at the forefront of politicians and communities minds, and I think that has to be a very good thing.

More than 60 news hounds, including TV and radio producers, presenters and photographers, attended the event at local historical venue The Clifton Club.

The winners were one of two teams attending from regional radio station Jack FM, who beat their colleagues to snatch victory.

Hosted by BBC Bristol Sports Editor Geoff Twentyman, the £15 ticket price went straight to the charity thanks to event sponsorship from national recruitment organisation Resource Solutions Group (RSG), which has its headquarters in Bristol.

Nick Walrond, Director of Core Recruitment Services at RSG, said: “We are thrilled with the level of support from the local media community in raising such a substantial amount of funds for The Prince’s Trust. We are familiar with the good work this charity does and are pleased that the money will help people get back on track and into employment.

“Well done to Jack FM, who put in an amazing effort and scooped the top prize. We are sure there was a lively debate in the newsroom the next day with the colleagues who came in second place.”

Also in attendance on the evening were teams from BBC Bristol, South West News Service, the Bristol Evening Post, Bristol 24-7, the Press Association, the National Union of Journalists, Bristol Business News, The Prince’s Trust and a team of national journalists from a variety of titles.

The Prince’s Trust Fundraising Manager Beth Sutherland said: “This was a great event and we were so touched by the level of generosity from sponsor RSG and all the media professionals who attended. It will really make a massive difference to the lives of many young people in Bristol and the South West.

“This brilliant support is particularly meaningful in the current economic climate. Young people can often be amongst the first group in society to feel the effects of rising unemployment, so we will be putting the proceeds to very good use.”

Sarah Rice, Head of Media Relations at Bristol-based JBP Public Relations & Parliamentary Affairs, which organised the event, said: “We had a great turnout from across a wide range of media attend and, as you would expect from a group of journalists, the competition in the room was fierce.

“They did an amazing job in raising so much money – it’s definitely something we want to recreate even bigger and better next year.”

Well, if a week is a long time in politics, 18 months is an eternity. The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement this week had all the hallmarks of a Pre-Budget Report. Not least the fact that nearly all the major announcements were leaked to the media in advance. Critics have argued that this was a deliberate strategy to try and generate some ‘good news’ coverage – the extension of free childcare for example – ahead of the inevitable media reaction that would follow the bleak news contained within the actual statement.

That bleak news includes the fact that the Government is not on course to eliminate the structural deficit before the expected General Election in 2015. It is also likely, according to the OECD, that the British economy will slip back into recession in 2012. Excuse the pun but a double dip recession will make it a rollecoaster of a year in Westminster.  Expect Labour’s message that the Government’s austerity drive has gone ‘too far, too fast’ to be amplified in the coming weeks. 

There are longer term political implications to consider. The deficit will not be eliminated by the time of the next General Election.  It is therefore certain to be a live political issue during the campaign. The internal dyamics of the coalition will be affected  – watch out for the Lib Dems strenghtening their messaging that they have ‘humanised’ the Conservatives. The Lib Dems will also point to their influence in the capital spending commitments that the Chancellor announced this week – something they’ve been calling for, in private, for some months.  It was also reported this week that David Cameron has held meetings recently with just his Conservative cabinet colleagues – in order to plan strategy for the next election.

Both coalition parties know that the economy needs to be showing signs of real recovery by the spring of 2015. For the Tories in order to demonstrate their competence and underpin their aim to win an outright majority. For the Lib Dems economic recovery is required in order to demonstrate that coalition government can work and that they have been a moderating influence. 

Make no mistake – the next General Election campaign is already underway.