Another year, another busy one awaiting. Some work is still ongoing. Gravestones can be unstaked, but many still have to see me about suing for damage disgracefully done. Villain of the year award goes to the gravestone staking zealots. Many more miners have had their compensation for terrible industrial disease and money back from greedy solicitors, but some solicitors still worm and wriggle. Many more disabled people are able to wash and live with dignity, but a handful remain are still fighting for their adaptations.

A huge volume of casework has passed through my hands this year, most dealt with successfully. But some villains still get away and of course my in box is always full with new cases. I hear MPs brag about how they do no surgeries and how it is wrong to do so.

I can assure you, the great people of Bassetlaw, that I take exactly the opposite approach. My door is always open to fight for the individual. When you face the high and mighty, the rich and powerful, the greedy and corrupt then there has to be those to whom you can turn for support and for justice.

And can I thank the staff of the Royal Mail, who I visited in Worksop sorting office this week. Hard working, efficient and deserving of a pay increase, these staff receive and provide a lot of work via my office. Thank you.

In this area we are all the majority and I do not fight alone. We have citizens advice, local churches, charities and good and honest council staff all prepared to fight back, and we have good and decent unions.

All of these good people I have work with in partnership. Prompting me, advising me, sharing the workload. Old friends such as the engineering union that I know well, now renamed  Amicus Unite. The GMB and Unison. And newer friends such as the prison officers union and the police federation, all working to improve the lot of their members.

I use different tactics for different issues. Some campaigns are best fought privately and you the reader will never see any publicity, as some of the real influence is behind closed doors. Others are fought in the full, gaze of the public and both battles can be bloody.

For the next year I can only give one promise: wherever you need my help I will go the extra mile for my constituents and wherever possible I will let this paper know the true facts. Whatever next year brings, government, big business and the other powers that be in London will have their toes trodden on, their arms twisted and their ears bent.

I wish you and your family the very best for 2008 and I am available from 2 January for all your issues on 010 506200, at 68a Carlton Road, via mannj@parliament.uk and though my website at www.johnmannmp.com.