The nature of the battle remained unspoken: re-establishing the President’s credibility against the onslaught on the Lewinsky allegations.An important chemistry was in evidence for the first time since the Washington scandal broke – a new passion, a furious determination, on the part of Mr Clinton and of his fans to fight back: to beat the sleaze allegations, to beat Kenneth Starr, the independent prosecutor, to beat Paula Jones and to beat Monica Lewinsky.”We like you, Bill,” a single voice rang out from high in the terraces just as the President was getting started “Thank you. Something like one fifth of this city’s entire population crammed itself yesterday into the giant sports dome of the University of Illinois to see the President of the United States. If Mr Clinton has been feeling a touch embattled of late, what these people gave him was a tonic indeed.
Champaign, in the heart of southern Illinois, was the first stop of a short mid-western swing by the President. It was his first dive into the country since the whole Lewinsky affair exploded around him.This was no touchy-feely town hall meeting to discuss the intricacies of Mr Clinton’s political agenda. There were 13,000 people in this dome, all bawling their support for Mr Clinton and his Vice-President, Al Gore, alongside him, as if they were rock stars This was a campaign rally. “It sounds like something out of Eastern Europe – being told to pay more taxes for road space we have already paid for,” said Paul Hemingway, a spokesman for the Association of British Drivers.

“Why not just spend more of the pounds 26bn the motorist is currently taxed?”. Bill Clinton did what he does best yesterday: he went out on the campaign trail. Allegations about the President’s misbehaviour may be mounting, but in Champaign, no one was paying much heed. The President was in their midst, and they loved him to death. Businesses already pay rates on parking spaces – a space in Birmingham costs pounds 450 a year – whereas one in Norwich would only be pounds 150.

A recent report by the environmental think tank Transport 2000, suggested that applying a flat urban rate would stop businesses drifting out of the cities.However, one minister said yesterday that the issue of parking was “not clear cut”. “The fact there are already charges anyway through the uniform business rate make it difficult to extract from the present budget.”Transport experts say the move is long overdue. John Whitelegg, professor of environmental studies at John Moores University, said: “You need both sticks and carrots to persuade people to use their cars less. I have long been banging the drum to provide the money for the carrots.”The drivers’ lobby is taking an increasingly hard line. “Our surveys show motorists will accept congestion charging as long as they see the benefits in the form of a better metro system or new park-and-ride centre,” said Edmund King, a spokesman for the Royal Automobile Club.Taxing company car parking spaces is another charge being “actively considered”. Hammersmith and Fulham borough council have proposed a pounds 60 fixed penalty for illegal use of bus lanes, enforced for by closed circuit television.Motoring organisations are supportive.

Mr Strang has irritated some older hands at the Treasury by repeatedly calling for a “dedicated income stream” to fund ambitious public transport schemes.Observers note that the Treasury’s change of mind allows potentially unpopular tax increases to be implemented by local councillors, not national politicians. Despite this, many local authorities regard ring-fencing as a fiscal Holy Grail. Edinburgh, Bristol and Aberdeen have put forward innovative schemes involving road tolls to pay for public transport and road improvements.Business is also supportive. Charges of pounds 5 on the heavily used A1, A19, A66 and A167 were recently suggested by the North East Chamber of Commerce, Trade and Industry.It would mean that councils could start charging motorists who spew fumes into the atmosphere as well as fining drivers who use bus lanes or speed and use the cash to supplement transport budgets. I registered with agencies and they were constantly offering me work in London, but I didn’t want to move. I eventually found my present job, but it took some time.”Both Sarah and Clare believe that spending time abroad is the only way to become truly fluent and the interview procedures necessary for bi- and multilingual secretaries certainly weed out those who are not fluent.”Our interviews take more than an hour,” says David Shacklock. “We have grammar and oral tests in the relevant languages as well as the normal secretarial tests.