Trust a seven year-old to stop the traffic
They're starting politicians young nowadays. Meet seven-year old Sophie, who lives in the Hampshire village of Kings Worthy. For ages she's been asking her Mum if they can have a cat, but Mum says no, because the road through the village is so busy.
It sounds like an excellent parental excuse to me. But young Sophie has obviously been blessed with that killer political attribute of refusing to accept that things can't be changed.
There's a simple solution, she declares, we need a speed limit to slow the traffic down.
And a campaign swung into action. She collected her neighbours' signatures on a petition, then she did an assembly at school on the need to slow down the traffic. Then she contacted the local supermarket for support and lobbied her MP, Lib Dem Mark Oaten.
It seems that there had been a proposal to reduce the road from 40 to 30 mph - but the Parish Council were against the idea.
But now Sophie's on the case I suspect a re-think may be on the cards, and one seven year-old could be well on her way to having a new feline friend.
Welcome to the hustings! I'm Peter Henley, the BBC's political reporter in the south of England. From parish councils in Sussex, to European politics in Oxford, this is the blog for you. 
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