On the doorsteps of England today, Labour activists will be campaigning on a mixture of local and national issues.

When it comes to local elections, there are two galleries to which politicians – national and local – have to play to. One is the essentials of local government, with issues like pot holes, post offices and playing fields upper most in councillor’s minds. The other is the national picture, with the economy, Europe or even the scandal and rumour of Westminster trickling out onto the campaign trail.

Conservatives across the country are making three promises to you today: we’ll protect services on your streets, we’re fighting for the pound in your pocket and we’re fighting for the future of our country.

The United Nations recently announced that the total death toll in Syria has passed 60,000. In summer of 2011, roughly 1,000 people lost their lives per month. The figure has now risen to 5,000.  It is said to be a conservative estimate with the actual numbers likely to be far higher.

Compared to other conflicts, the number of Syrian casualties now equals the total killed in the Arab-Israeli conflict since 1948 or, put differently, Assad butchered half the number of people over 22 months that Milosevic killed between 1992-1995 in the Balkans.

The below letter has been written by one serving police officer to the Prime Minister, David Cameron. Their identity for obvious reasons has been omitted.

Dear Mr Cameron,

Yesterday I was called out to an incident where an 80 year old man had fallen out of his bath seat and landed in the bath upside down. He was trapped and screaming for help with his legs trapped in the bath seat.

His neighbours heard him screaming and called 999. The doors and windows were locked and he was screaming in agony.  I arrived, broke the door down and went into the bathroom to find a very scared elderly male laying naked, freezing cold trapped in his bath by a disability aid that was supposed to help him. He took one look at me and began to cry with relief.

Imagine you’re a police officer (if you’re reading this and you’re not) you are called to an incident, a disturbance, a report of a drunk male having seriously assaulted someone. As you make your way, you are told CCTV operatives are following the suspect. Another mobile unit arrives and is with the victim. It’s a multiple stabbing. The victim is unconscious and an ambulance is en route.