I have appreciated the speeches advocating reductions in the cost of politics made by David Cameron and George Osborne this week.

Although I would like Cameron to have gone further than a proposed 10% cut in MP's (585 is far too many – I would go for 500) I see this as being a good policy that will find favour with the electorate.

Equally plans to reduce the number of ministerial posts have to be correct – if for no other reason that if the overall number of MP's is to fall then so, logically, should the number of ministers (Is there something about numbers of Chiefs and Indians here?)

The other measures announced by Cameron should also be well received – even thought the potential financial savings are small (£120 million).

Any plan that tries to pull the inhabitants of the “Westminster Village” back into the real world simply has to be right.

The LibDems made a cheap shot that they would save money by scrapping Trident (albeit a policy I am fairly comfortable with) whereas Cameron was talking about the cost of salads………….

This totally missed the point of Cameron's speech which was about leadership and specifically the need for our political leaders to show a good example in these financially troubled times.

Clearly in the run up to the General Election there will be a need for the Conservatives to spell out just how they are going to put the nation's finances back into order if elected.

Inevitably this will involve making some tough decisions and give New Labour the opportunity to spout off about “Tory Cuts”. (As if they wouldn't make cuts as well)

This seems to be an attempt to invoke a folk memory from the early 1980's – another occasion when a new Tory government had to pull Britain out of the financial mire that Labour had created.

As such it should be seen as a desperate attempt to frighten the electorate from a party that is now devoid of ideas and discredited by it's mismanagement of the British economy.

Thinking about where government spending can be reduced.

Cameron should withdraw the “ring fence” around the budget for International Development.

I am uncomfortable that so much of this well intentioned funding simply ends up in the numbered Swiss bank accounts of the ruling cliques of many “developing countries” or is paying for the unaccountable and unelected quango's that determine where the budget is allocated / spent.

In these difficult times no government spending should be excluded from possible budget reductions.

If the Mail is to be believed (always a risk I know) Speaker Bercow has appointed a new spin doctor at the cost to the tax payer of at least £87,000.

At a time when state expenditure is under very close scrutiny I am amazed that Bercow thinks this is an appropriate use of tax-payers money.

More evidence of this man's unsuitability for the role?

I am pleased to see that Alan Duncan has paid a price for making such crass comments about MP's expenses.

I am rather surprised that he has agreed to a demotion to such a junior post rather than returning to the back benches for a spell.

I think Cameron has made a good call here by demoting Duncan but clearly leaving the door open for a rapid return to a more senior position after the General Election.

Moving Sir George Young into the Shadow Leader of the House role is also prudent – he has done cabinet jobs before, is well respected (good candidate for Speaker remember) and should be able to cope with Ms Harman.

Driving back from Cuffley Station this evening I caught a brilliant piece of live radio.

The Radio 5 Live drive show ran a live report from Samoa at the very moment that this tiny Pacific state changed from driving on the right hand side of the road to the left hand (or proper) side of the road.

Their PM (who sounds as daft as a brush) has decided that by driving on the left the 170,000 Samoans who live in Australia & New Zealand will be able to “send home” cheap right hand drive used cars.

Additionally this will also make it easier to import cheap new Japanese cars which are of course also manufactured with right hand drive.

Lets wish Samoa well with this change and above all hope that it is managed safely.

As an aside, when I was involved in recruiting junior managers a few years ago a common “case study” used was to ask how the applicant would manage the problem of changing a country from driving on the right to the left (or vice versa).

Inevitably, one candidate suggested doing this as a phased move, over a couple of days………….needless to say he didn't get the job.