The prime minister has had his say on plans to shake up councils in Oxfordshire
When your local MP is the prime minister it can be a blessing and a curse. Just ask Ian Hudspeth, leader of Oxfordshire County Council.
On devolution he thought he had the agreement of his district councils, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and the backing of Oxfordshire MPs to join the auction of promises that the negotiation is turning into.
But that was before his spat with the PM over cuts, especially children's centres where it emerged that David Cameron's mother Mary signed a petition against the plan.
So what happens if you upset the PM, or his mother?
This week a detailed, shiny new devolution proposal emerged. Proposals to pool NHS and social services cash and commissioning but with Oxfordshire's 4,700 staff and multi-million pound budget split between four new unitary authorities.
And within hours of publication there was a supportive letter from local MPs, including the member for Witney David Cameron, who said he had always regarded West Oxfordshire as the gateway to the Cotswolds anyway.
And no minister in a Conservative government could resist the punchline from their party leader: " I see a lot of advantages in exploring this option."
One Council insider felt Hudspeth had brought it on himself. "He put his head in the noose and let them tighten it."
So that's Devo-Oxfordshire dead, or at least knocked on to a radical new course.
And it's sent shock waves through the other Southern shires, perhaps exactly as intended.
A bloody business
Hampshire had a crunch meeting of county and district leaders. This one of the biggest, and most prestigious applications.
One leader told me afterwards "It was a bloody business."
The districts have been spooked by increased housing numbers. All along they've ducked and weaved to avoid the hated election of a "metro-mayor".
And into that disunity I hear the government has thrust a fatal blow, calling for the bid to be split in two, with the Northern M3 LEP taking councils from Farnborough through Winchester to the New Forest and the Solent LEP keeping the Super-city of Southampton and Portsmouth as well as the Island.
Some districts seem prepared to go along with the plan, heading to London for urgent talks, while Hampshire leader Roy Perry issued this plea in a letter to local MPs.
"The dismembering of this great county would be damaging on two fronts: Undermining the economic viability of the area, and risking the overall effectiveness and quality of council services."
"I am asking for your support to help avert what I think would be little short of a disaster for the area, not just this great county"
The chancellor is abroad, but the pressure from the Treasury to get the ink dried for the budget is forcing a fast pace of negotiation.
With Eric Pickles you used to get a lot of noise and flag waving. But in a few short weeks Greg Clark, the smiling assassin, has shaken the shires to their foundations.
