This is a copy of my weekly blog which I write for work and is published on the council's intranet.  The views I express in this log are my own, professional, views as the Head of Communications but do not necessarily reflect those of the authority itself.

Well, here we are then.

The world’s worst kept ‘secret’ is out.

Sky News sent me a breaking news text alert at 9.58pm last night (they’ve clearly forgotten I don’t work there anymore) and this morning (Tuesday) a beaming Sian Williams was fronting BBC Breakfast from College Green in London declaring that “in four hours Gordon Brown will be asking the Queen to dissolve parliament so that there can be a general election on May 6”.

Like we didn’t know that already.

Of course, by the time this log is published and you’ve read it, Mr Brown may have already made the round trip to Buckingham Palace.

So, that means it will suddenly become ‘acceptable’ that strange men and women are allowed to kiss random babies and when the buses come along in threes they won’t be the No 1 to Holt Park – they’ll be three election battle buses in a row.

(No, I’ve not been asked to drive any of them.)

If I’m honest, I’m quite excited by all this election malarkey.  No doubt some of you – loyal readers – have been here before and consider it to be a distraction from getting on with the day-to-day business of running our great city.

In the past, I’ve reported on elections and have been so busy planning my coverage I’ve run out of time to vote myself – but being on this side of the fence is quite interesting as well.

This is the first time that a cross in a box on a ballot paper has the potential to have a direct effect on my job, what I do and who I answer to.  And, of course, it could change the direction the country goes in.

Talking of the day-to-day business of running the city – then the election is having an impact there too – well for us anyway.

Until the polls close on the night of May 6, there are restrictions on what my team and I can publicise.  It means, in some areas, where a councillor we work closely with is standing for election, work has dropped off.

It reminds of me of ‘black weeks’ that theatres have – there’s no show taking place, so the staff get on with all the other tasks that need doing.  Sorting out the store cupboard and deep cleaning the dressing rooms for instance.  I remember it well when I used to volunteer at the Theatre Royal in Winchester as a back stage boy.

That’s why last week was nice and quiet, giving us loads of time to get on with other things.  We’ve been tweaking our service plan, working out the communications for when we find out who the new chief executive is and resolving outstanding recharges before the end of the financial year.

So, I’m a bit lacking on the ‘media people who’ve annoyed Andy’ front this week.

Well, apart from a certain reporter at the Yorkshire Evening Post, who didn’t annoy me as such, but did astound me with her bloody cheek:

Andy: “Hello, communications team, Andy speaking.”

Cheeky reporter: “Hello, it’s Cxxxxx from the YEP here. I’ve had a press release from Cllr Andrew saying you’ve removed speed bumps from Wykebeck Lane – can you confirm this is true.”

Andy: “I’m sure it is if you’ve had a release from Cllr Andrew, but I will check.”

Cheeky reporter: “Good, oh, and why you’re doing that can you put me in touch with the residents who’ve complained, so I can call them and do interviews?”

Andy: “Umm … no.  Sorry Cxxxxxx, but you’re the journalist, so you do the research.   Next you’ll be wanting us to do your shopping for you.”

You can imagine the frown on my face after that phone call.

Finally, to end this week, some of your comments, but first let me put one of them into context.

If you’re a regular visitor to the BBC News website, you’ll be familiar with the little box on the right hand side of the page which tells you what the most popular stories are.  Most of the time the order of those stories bears no resemblance to the order of the stories on the BBC’s radio or TV bulletins.

(That’s a debate for another day – what news people are really interested in.)

Right, so with that context, here’s what John from the migration partnership and who used to work in the press office had to say about last week’s log:

“Loved this week’s log. Communications job cuts? … fair enough … DECATS? … OK, I can see why it matters … xxxx [name removed to protect him from embarrassment] brings his kecks to work to dry on the office radiator? … now that’s news I want to hear about (as well as being the best comedy gross-out moment of the Spring.) I applaud Emma for her fortitude and strength of stomach!”

And the man responsible for ‘pants gate’ has also emailed:

“As the team with one of the lowest sickness rates in the council, I'm sure you must be as aware as anyone about the operational difficulties that can sometimes be caused by sick leave. The health and well being of your staff must, at all times, be your top priority.

“As any Victorian would tell you, damp underwear is a leading cause of 'catching a chill'. Pneumonia, consumption, a painful demise and an HR nightmare inevitably follow.

“Therefore, I should surely be commended for ensuring that well-being of 'the team' are always at the forefront of my mind? Running around in wet underwear is a recipe for disaster and asking for trouble. And, possibly, arrest.

“Also, my mother always told me to make sure my undergarments are clean, lest people draw unsavoury conclusions should I be knocked down by a bus.

“I would think her instruction extends to wet underwear, for exactly the same reason.

“Yours, Pantsman.”

What can I say – not much really.  It hardly excuses it though!