US Presidential Democratic Candidate Senator Obama arrived on these shores, on the last leg of his week-long European tour, this week with a mission to see “how we can strengthen the transatlantic relationship to solve problems that can’t be solved by any single country individually”. While it is heartening to see the Illinois Congressman fully engaging with Britain’s current and future leaders we must be wary of getting carried away with style and rhetoric and rather ought to concentrate on the substance of the campaign.

“The people”, as they say, “have spoken!” I won’t comment here on the actual results of last weeks elections. My concern is about the democratic process itself.

Here in Epping Forest District, we had a very respectable turnout. In most places it was around 40 per cent. and in some places as high as 51 per cent. In some parts of London, the percentage turnout for the Mayoral Elections was even higher.

It’s election time again. The sometimes warm spring days, bright tulips and blossoming wisteria are always accompanied by piles of different coloured leaflets falling through the letter box and canvassers calling to see if they can count on your vote.

For some of us, this is exciting – democracy in action. But for others it’s a bore – what do we have to vote on this time?

Parliament has had a bad time in the press over the last week or so. It makes me very angry when the integrity of all politicians is brought into question because of the behaviour of a few who have acted improperly.

The vast majority of MPs and Peers and Councillors and others in public life are honest and hardworking. Almost everyone I know in politics, from every political party, is involved because they believe in certain principles and want to make the world a better place. I think that is a commendable motive.

Do you remember the great classic film, Cabaret, with Liza Minelli in the lead role? A new stage version has just opened in London which I was fortunate to see a few weeks ago. It is a brilliantly entertaining portrayal of the social changes occurring in 1930s Berlin as the Nazis rose to power.

How disappointing that we are not going to have a General Election after all. I had been looking forward to it – not just because I enjoy the opportunity to spend time going all round the Epping Forest constituency, speaking to people and listening to their concerns and their ideas – but because I want the country to have the chance to tell the Prime Minister how fed up people are with Labour’s broken promises and constant “spin”.

I wonder who it was at Epping Town Council who decided to have the Town Show in September rather than in the “summer months” as most towns do? Whoever it was deserves a place of honour, either at the Met Office or in the Magic Circle, for predicting the weather so well!

Sunday was a beautiful day – windy, but sunny and fresh.

The weather, however, only provides the backdrop to an event. What really matters at a Town Show or any other similar occasion, is the atmosphere of fun and of striving to do some good in the community.

The percentage of voters who actually go to a polling station and cast their vote appears to have been dropping steadily over the last few decades. This is a worrying trend because democracy is only truly effective if the people the system purports to represent bother to participate in it.

The new Prime Minister has already announced that he will be looking at ways to increase participation in democracy, such as having elections at weekends instead of on Thursdays. I welcome the investigation – but perhaps not the proposed solutions!

I was privileged to be invited last week to the Scout Jamboree at Hylands Park. It was a brilliant event. I have always been very proud that the world headquarters of the Scouts is here in Epping Forest, at Gilwell Park – but I was even more proud when I saw for myself what had been achieved at the Jamboree.

It is rather a strange time at Westminster just now. We have one Prime Minister jetting around on his worldwide farewell tour and another Prime-Minister-in-Waiting travelling Britain trying to drum up support.

Meanwhile, Government ministers are struggling with their policies and their legislation because nobody knows what the new Government under Gordon Brown will be like – or, more importantly, in which direction it will be going.