I know everyone's supposed to be fed up at this time of year but I'm not. I reckon this is one of the biggest, most interesting years for politics for a long time. Here’s why:

• In the US, there is a cultural and generational battle going on between Clinton and Obama for the Dems
• And there is a deeply ideological battle on the Republican right between Huckabee, Romney & Co and Guiliani, McCain & Co
• At home, Gordon Brown gets the chance to articulate his vision about what comes after Blair – and knows he has to do it well 
• David Cameron has to decide if his lead in the polls affirms a direction of travel, or tells him his party has reached its destination and needs to change no more
• Nick Clegg has to start to turn the lib dems into a coherent national force, with a clear national message 
• And in London Boris and Ken are virtually neck-and-neck in the polls, promising a real fight for who will be the next Mayor

Maybe it will all be a depressing, familiar story. But this is the year big decisions need to be made.

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