Back in 1997 the Conservatives were crushed in a general election and were left really struggling to make their mark among voters in the face of a massive Labour majority in the House of Commons.

At a national level the party was fixated with a leadership election that always looked as if it was focussed on what the members wanted rather than rebuilding a party that could win elections again.

And at a local level Conservatives were left thrashing around trying to look relevant and to try to come up with a cause that chimed with their heartland voters in Suffolk and other rural areas.

Does that sound familiar?

Back in 1997 it was the issue of foxhunting that galvanised leading Tories, especially those on the opposition benches at Suffolk County Council.

Now a new issue seems to be bringing the rural Conservatives together along the east coast - the row over pylons and new electricity infrastructure to bring power from the North Sea to the rest of England.

Back in 1997 we heard that banning foxhunting would destroy rural communities. It would alter the countryside completely.

It was an urban plan cooked up by townies who didn't understand the countryside and nothing would ever be the same again.

That was all, of course, a load of rubbish, there are thousands of people living in the countryside who want to be able to enjoy their good fortune without having to watch a fox being disembowelled in the next field or even, if they're really unlucky, in their back garden.

But the issue did give the rural Conservatives something to rally around and everything from plans for new homes in market towns and villages to the amount of money spent on potholes was characterised as a "city versus countryside" issue.

I can't escape the feeling that in Suffolk this was the time when the fracture between Ipswich and the countryside around became wider and rural people fell out of love with their county town.

Now we are seeing similar arguments emerge over pylons. It's an issue that deeply affects a significant minority of the population for whom it is THE overpowering concern they have about life in 2024.

But the government has made it quite clear it is planning to go ahead with the plans - it sees them as vital to secure power supplies into the 2030s.

And that isn't new. Rachel Reeves said it when she came to Ipswich as shadow chancellor in February.

Ed Miliband and Sir Keir Starmer said it several times during the election campaign. And everything they have said and done since the election makes it clear they will not be swayed.

But now it really has become a major political issue. Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk and Lincolnshire county councils have come together to oppose the plans.

That would look like a great triumph of unity were it not for the fact that they are all Conservative controlled. Four Tory authorities coming together to oppose a Labour government.

Once again the city-v-countryside is being stoked up again.

I suspect Labour strategists will have been delighted by the move. It looks like a clear indication that this is now a party political struggle - and it will give the whips the perfect excuse to apply the political thumbscrews to any rural Labour MPs wobbly about the issue!

Of course there are differences between pylons and foxhunting. I'm not expecting to see campaigners marching demanding to see pylons going across their local fields!

But I'm sure the government feels that ultimately the voters will reward them for ensuring there is a robust, affordable, power network making sure that their lights stay on and their cars remain charged.

Whether they're right or not only time will tell!

The opinions expressed in this column are the personal views of Paul Geater and do not necessarily reflect views held by this newspaper, its sister publications or its owner and publisher Newsquest Media Group Ltd.