May 8

In years to come there won't be many people who remember where they were when Tony Blair announced the timing of the 2001 election; not many who looked up from their desks, their lunch or their laundry to see him name the date. Labour in power, Labour set to win - what is there to stick in the mind?

We found the answer at John o'Groats, on a patch of lush hillside overlooking the sea - with the Dormobile standing proudly against the stunning blue of a clear Scottish sky. The Newsnight election journey began today, at the northernmost point of mainland Britain. The Blair announcement played from our medium-wave radio. Whatever the political setting, the view made the moment unforgettable.

The Dormobile is registering a quiet protest early on, and we're not sure it can make nine hundred miles without the attentions of a breakdown recovery service. Yesterday some smoke crept through the dashboard; the milometer is intermittent; the engine went through 2 litres of oil in a single day; locking the doors takes the skill of a safecracker. But the vehicle looks sleek, and stylish, and a following wind helps it past parked cars at a cruise.

The team was not alone on the hillside in John o'Groats. Also there were Sandra Sinclair, a shop manager, with John Green, an independent councillor, and businessman Walter Mowat; all from the area. Touching their mood, we discovered differences about whether Scottish Parliament elections are more or less exciting than Westminster's. They compete for stature and attention, of that there is no doubt. Devolution has changed the political air.

Our encounter of the day: meeting John Sutherland, who bought the buildings around the Dunnet Head lighthouse for £35,000 fifteen years ago and thus became the northernmost voter on Britain's mainland. At the country's edge he and his son switch their guitars on loud and make the cliffs shake. The distance did not prevent the Prime Minister's announcement from carrying: John turned off his guitar to give us his view on the campaign. That was the moment we knew it was starting to roll.

 Click here to watch Jeremy's report from May 8.

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Jeremy's diary entries:

May 8 - John o'Groats

May 10 - Glasgow

May 13 - Newcastle

May 16 - Hartlepool

May 17 - Hartlepool

May 21 - Birmingham

May 25 - Bristol

Jeremy's letter to Bristol Council

May 29 - Dorset

June 5 - Cornwall

June 6 - Land's End

The van's fate

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Click here to download the Newsnight Van Screensaver