So the election has been called! The European Parliament doesn't stop for elections in member states (with 25 countries to take into account, we'd never actually meet if we did!). So British MEPs don't get any time off for the general election, though of course I and many others will be devoting any spare time to helping with the campaign.

On another note, the Tories' policy on Europe is getting madder and madder. These days, even their own colleagues in Parliament's conservative and Christian Democrat group tell me they hope the Conservatives don't win!