All of My Heart
An early Valentine's Day treat, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of one of the all time classic albums. Tuesday 6th February 2007
11:34 pm
An early Valentine's Day treat, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of one of the all time classic albums. 10:49 pm
Is choice really an illusion?
The Guardian has a full report of Tony Blair's appearance before the Commons liaison committee this morning. I was particularly struck by the following: Second subject, and Lib Dem Phil Willis, the chair of the science and technology committee, leading the questioning. What evidence is there that patient choice in health drives up quality? he wants to know. Mr Blair points to reduced waiting lists. No, you're going off on a tangent, says Mr Willis. What about quality, not waiting times? The prime minister says that in 1997 the key issue was waiting times; a ... 10:43 pm
Non-Muslims Are Damned to Hellfire!
A report on tonight's Newsnight draws attention to certain Saudi Wahabi textbooks that are apparently used in the King Fahad Academy, a generally well-respected Islamic school in my manor of East Acton. There were truly objectionable references to Jews and Muslims as "pigs and monkeys" in the books, but I am not sure whether I can agree with objections to the contention in one of the books that 10:28 pm
Welsh cakes all round
Harry has a posting on Crooked Timber about Welsh cakes, complete with the recipe. This reminds me of one of my favourite parliamentary by-elections: Brecon & Radnor in 1985. I spent polling day in Cwmtwrch-isaf. The polling station was at the local community centre and tellers from all the parties were provided with a table and chair. There was also free tea and Welsh cakes for all comers. No doubt this was against all sorts of electoral laws, but it did make things more enjoyable. Incidentally, I travelled down to Brecon with the Liberals' East Midlands regional agent, ... 10:22 pm
Life on Mars
Because of Alex’s reviews and this trailer, I thought that I really should watch Season 1 of Life on Mars. Having gone and got the box set, I’ve spent the last three days (well most of Sunday) catching up, and I’ve got to say that it’s brilliant. Can’t wait for Season 2 to start. Ohh, it’s [...] 
10:19 pm
David Davis gets off the fence
It has to be said, David Davis’ article today opposing detention without trial is good, liberal stuff. Just a few things: Is this the same David Davis who was on the radio last week claiming that the government should build a limitless number of new prisons (obviously, it isn’t the same David Davies who said [...] 10:09 pm
Preparing for Emergencies
Residents of Birmingham are being offered free wallets to help make them be better prepared should an unfortunate incident occur as part of a community resilience programme led by the City Council's Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Unit. The ICE (In Case of Emergency) wallets contain a personal information sheet where you can record important information such as medication, next of kin 10:06 pm
Home in the Penny School
The Penny School Gallery is housed in a Victorian school on the Richmond Road, and it is currently hosting an exhibition called 'Home' by Cally Trench and Nick Trench. They are brother and sister and both painters, but in very different styles. Here we are in front of one of Nick's bold pieces - from left, Nick Trench, Cally Trench, me and Rosemary Williams (the Director of... 10:06 pm
Dr Death speaks
Who the fuck is Lord Owen (that’s a rhetorical question)? I ask because, having walked out on the SDP 19 years ago to form his own, ultimately Tory supporting sub-faction that proved less popular than the Monster Raving Loony Party, of all the people in the world less in a position to dole out advice on [...] 9:40 pm
Watching the milk boil over
Anyone under the age of 30 who went to primary school in the borough will remember the chip pan fire. This was a very dramatic demonstration given by the Fire Brigade to Year 6 pupils. This year it was (sadly) replaced, but the new activity was just as entertaining and educational. The dangers in the kitchen Someone has spotted that the... 9:25 pm
The Strange Rebirth
"The Strange Rebirth of Liberal England" by David Walter has been a very useful read indeed for me. It is enlightening to read about the long term evolution of the party and with what I have just read, I can really see just how far we have come. I can also see that the Liberal Democrat "brand" has come a very long way. The confusion caused by the SDP / Liberals merger, as far as I can see, has lessened with each new generation of voter and the Liberal Democrats have never been in stronger position - our ... 9:08 pm
Meanwhile, over at ConservativeHome
Tim Montomerie has kindly e-mailed to let me know that ConservativeHome has highlighted yesterday’s posting in which I speculated about the speech Ming Campbell might care to make in the event of a Hung Parliament after the next election. I’ve not had chance to read all the comments yet - been in meetings all day - but I was especially tickled by these two: Smug, sanctimonius and typically 8:43 pm
Blushes all round - "Paul Walter rocks my world" fan (?) site discovered
I have been asked by the "Hero worshipper in Chief" to mention this. There is a "Paul Walter rocks my world" page on www.facebook.com. Blush, blush. The thing has fifteen members! All of whom look like they might be models for that new BBC programme about researchers! The thing appears to be rather onion-like in its layers of irony - I am unable to discern where the irony stops (if at all - most 8:36 pm
Park & Ride - Winchester Tories lose the Plot
Just today we have seen Cabinet papers relating to parking charges in Winchester. The success of the Park & Ride, together with the loss of parking at Sussex Street and last summer’s temporary closure of River Park has resulted in a hole in the City Council’s parking budget. To fill this, the Conservative Cabinet will be looking at proposals which include significant increases in short term 8:32 pm
Southeastern Railway Rail Enforcement Officers
I should start this posting by saying that it has nothing to do with a complaint I have lodged from last year about the behaviour of a SET Rail Enforcement Officer... I have been observing how SET use their Rail Enforcement Officers of late. These people were introduced in a blaze of publicity as the guardians of keeping rail customers safe, especially as so many stations are now unstaffed in 
8:25 pm
Friendly fire - sadly familiar
The friendly fire incident, the video of which was on BBC Newsround today, is sickeningly familiar. I did a quick look up. The Scotsman reports: During the first Gulf War in 1991, an American A-10 attacked British armoured personnel carriers - killing nine soldiers. Oh dear. Also, an A-10, over ten years earlier. Oh dear. 8:23 pm
Media Judgement
I was only making a point in a debate on sentencing policy and it ended up as a major item on the BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/6335877.stm Sometimes you try very hard to get noti... 8:23 pm
Day 2226: DOCTOR WHO: No More Lies
Sunday: Oh no! What have I done to offend Mr Simon! Not only has he tried to explode my namesake the BIG TENT, now he has ASSASSINATED my Daddies on page 169 of "Short Trips: Time Signature"! Perhaps I had better stop Daddy Richard from writing rude things about the Big Fish audio adventures of Dr Who! Naaaah! This up-and-down series of radio adventures continues to prove something of a roller-coaster: after last week's run-of-the-mill yarn, this week returns another high. What starts off as an intriguing – and charming – garden party mystery evolves ... 8:19 pm
Is this the worst programme in the history of the BBC?
"When will I be famous?" ...er....never. Complete cobblers, would be a charitable way to describe this BBC1 Saturday night show, introduced by Graham Norton (even he can't save it). Someone in the BBC thinks that they can get away with reviving "New Faces" if they give it the appearance of Dance Fever/Celebrity/Strictly Come naked. They are deluding themselves. This is the biggest load of 8:14 pm
Injuries sustained in the cause of Liberal Democracy
Strange. I have survived 20 odd years of Liberal campaigning without injury. Last night, I came a cropper on someone's doorstep (slightly gashed knee/strained wrist) and tonight I was left bleeding after being attacked by a holly bush. They say bad luck comes in threes, so I am on the look-out. 8:04 pm
Woman in underwear appears on Newbury's Telephone Exchange building
Yes, the long-awaited event in Newbury's history occurred this evening. I was just walking out of the Corn Exchange when I noticed some people in fluorescent yellow jackets by the bank on the corner. Then I realised they were a film crew. I went round the corner and there it was...a headless woman in all her glory and underwear, projected on the full length of the approx. ten storey telephone 7:39 pm
Oi, Owen! Shut it!
So, David Owen has been opining about how Ming Campbell should hand over the leadership of the Liberal Democrats to a "young Turk". O.K., so a man whose party (the S.D.P.) at its last electoral outing finished behind the Monster Raving Loony Party has given his opinion on the leadership of the Lib Dems. Fair enough. But rather more egregious is the coverage given to his remarks in The Guardian 7:38 pm
First UK human victim of Bird Flu ?
Tests are being carried out on one member of staff at the affected Turkey sheds in Suffolk. Read about it HERE. 7:34 pm
A Hollywood film methinks "Murder in Space"
Oh how the script writers must be getting excited about THIS story. Can anyone think of a better title for the film ? 7:31 pm
A silver bullet for party funding scandals?
Salon has picked up (hat tip: election law blog) the ideas of Bruce Ackerman and Ian Ayres on how to clean up campaign financing in the US, and from their report you wpuld have thought they had discovered a silver bullet for solving party funding scandals. Ackerman and Ayres have made two basic propositions: 1) That every voter should be given a voucher for $50 that they can split between as 7:10 pm
Global Warming
I saw this in an American magazine/catalogue yesterday! Global Warming Mug with Chocolates "Fill the mug with a hot beverage and watch the world’s coastlines disappear. Unwrap a milk chocolate Earthball, pop it into your mouth, and it, too, will disappear. 12-oz. ceramic mug arrives with 6 oz. of creamy, delicious chocolates in colorful foil wrappers. The perfect stocking stuffer. $17.95" I am speechless, yet sadly unsurprised. 7:08 pm
Website Up!!
At last ... I have got my website up ... www.arwenfolkes.org This might go some way to explaining why I again haven't blogged for so long. 6:43 pm
Ming Campbell looks forward to Harrogate
From Ming Campbell’s email sent to party members today: In a little under a month’s time, the Federal Party’s spring conference in Harrogate (2nd-4th March) will get underway. The Final Agenda and accompanying papers are now on their way to local party representatives. This conference will signal a change of pace for the Party as we [...] 6:42 pm
Last couple of days ...
Yesterday, had a useful meeting with other elected representatives (parliamentary and council) and the Chair of the NCR Task Force about progress the group is making; in the evening attended a meeting of the River Crescent Residents' Association, where issues discussed included the Riverside Nature Park, car speeding and maintenance of a local pathway. I am following up a number of issues for the Association. Following complaints from residents about graffiti on the Kwik Fit building in Perth Road at Westfield Place, I contacted the company about the matter and have had the following positive feedback: "This is an ongoing ... 6:15 pm
Building a team
Today was an odd day - it was our annual team away day at work, where the morning is spent planning our service for the next twelve months, and the afternoon is spent doing "team building exercises." I have been on numerous team-building days in the past few years, since starting work. In my very first job, after a couple of days in work, I was forced to attend a WEEKEND of these activities with 5:46 pm
Problems with the Family Courts - write down the judgment
If you are going to the Family Court for a case and might wish to appeal it is very important to write down the Judgment as the judge says it. Otherwise it takes some time to get transcripts from the court. You will notice the Local Authority's solicitors writing down the judgment. You need to do this as well. The Local Authority might give you a copy of their notes, but you cannot trust them 5:15 pm
Together we can cut crime
Crime is one of the biggest issues in Britain today. Ming Campbell's Liberal Democrats are taking the lead, proposing real action at a national level and acting to cut crime where we are in power locally. Violent crime is rising, anti-social behaviour is still a serious problem, and our prisons are overflowing. Labour have talked tough but have failed to deliver despite 10 years in power. The Tories are in disarray on crime. One day it's hug a hoodie; the next it's slap a hoodie. Who knows what the Tories stand for now? ... 5:08 pm
Charlie Brooker on Macs
On the Guardian website Charlie Brooker has some really good commentary and shares most of my views about Macs and their users. This quote is brilliant Macs are glorified Fisher-Price activity centres for adults and those Mitchell and Webb ads are already pissing me off. Mostly because my PC hasn’t rebooted since, well I can’t remember [...] 4:55 pm
Great Weekend and Leaflets
Due to the belief of my bathroom scales that I need more exercise, I made an effort to double my Lib Dem Focus leafleting this weekend. We also had an occasional night out in Manchester (in by Tram & lift back from friends) so we could both enjoy both Simply Red and a few wine bars. A few of my roses got a trim too in the Sunday sunshine. The week began with an email from a resident who has 4:30 pm
"Why after a year of his leadership are we only one point ahead of where we were at the start?" - Leigh's attacks Cameron.
The Evening Standard has a serious of damaging quotes from Edward Leigh. 4:28 pm
Andrew Walker, the coroner who criticised the MOD loses his job
Any link between the coronor Andrew Walker criticising the MOD and his job loss ? It sounds suspicioulsy like new Labour saying "criticise us and you'll never work again !" Read the BBC report HERE. 4:26 pm
More Chip & Pin attacks
Light Blue Touchpaper has details of another attackon the supposedly secure Chip & Pin system. This one is a relay attack which uses a dummy terminal to collect your card details and pin and then relay them to someone in another shop who uses these details to pretend their modified card is your card. The transaction looks [...] 4:05 pm
Iran reaps what it sows in Iraq
The Iranians have for months been arming and equipping Shia militants in Iraq. they have trained the militants to build bombs, given them military training and even providing them with Iraqi government uniforms so they an pose as Iraqi forces. Now, after all the mayhem they have helped cause in Iraq, the Iranian number two at the Iranian embassy has been kidnapped, it appears by Sunni militants posing as Iraqi army units. Of course, the Iranians are upset and want to blame anyone except themselves. I guess it goes to show what goes around, comes around. Read ... 4:02 pm
Improving Lordship Lane for Pedestrians
I reported last month that Southwark Council has engaged Living Steets to look at ways of improving Lordship Lane for pedestrians On Saturday three different groups ofresidentwalked up and down the street noting specific problems faced by pedestrians and discussing ways they could be addressed. Living Streets will then be reporting to the Dulwich Community Council with [...] 3:55 pm
Should government be involved in recycling?
A thought just occurred to me, should government be involved in recycling? If we look at other green technology we find that the private market has led to them being improved upon vastly. The early low energy bulbs were expensive and a poor substitute for standard incandescent bulbs, not many people bought them. Today’s low energy [...] 3:46 pm
The Sun shows video of US planes attacking UK troops - Are America really our ally of choice ?
Dr Liam Fox, the Tory defence spokesman said a few days ago, probably rightly, that the US was Britain's ally of choice. Sadly, when we need our allies, they are not always there for us though. I accept that "friendly fire" incidents or "blue on blue" as the Americans call it, is a part of all modern wars. However, in order to better understand how this can be avoided in future, everyone needs to be as transparent as possible and get as many facts in to the open. The American's refusal to hand over the video that the ... 3:19 pm
Downsides and Upsides
Being a Member of Parliament has its downsides. ..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Here's a short list; Within the geographical confines of your con... 2:53 pm
Welsh civil society & the new constitutional settlement
The National Assembly for Wales will face a very serious challenge once the Government of Wales Act comes into force. The Assembly has already been granted extensive powers in a number of Acts and Executive Transformative Legislative Orders. Once the Assembly is reconstituted after the May elections, they will also be able to pass Orders in Council requesting the power to make primary legislation on certain matters. ‘Civil society’ will also be able to request the Assembly to make law on certain issues through petitions. The Assembly will thus have powers to make law and scrutinise it. Through the pre-legislative ... 2:45 pm
An unpalatable coalition
All the Tory blogs are talking about the possibility of a Conservative-Liberal Democrat Government after the next General Election. Just in case anybody is tempted this video of Jacob Rees-Mogg on Newsnight illustrates perfectly why that should not happen 1:59 pm
Hung Parliament? Lets take the Venezuelan Option
Could a hung parliament offer the possibility of reuniting the Liberal Diaspora? We offer a novel approach to answering the Hung Parliament Question. 1:38 pm
Dealing with the cards - the international importance of our ID debates.
The horrible details of how the Identity Cards Act of 2006 will actually impact our lives can be gleaned from the Blackstones Guide just published. This makes the point that most countries that have ID cards introduced them when they were Colonial Dependencies or Dictatorships, or at War, or experiencing a State of Emergency. ID cards are for these countries even when they ahve become democracies at peace, just an accepted, undebated fact of life. This means that there is little precedent in terms of national debate over the aims or purposes of ID card schemes as ... 1:28 pm
To be good environmentalists…
The Globalisation Institute has finally fixed its rss feed. One of the first articles to appear in my reader was this one. It echoes my concerns that recycling has become a religion, it is not looked at critically, it is seen as always good, something which is not true. The article finishes with this nugget of wisdom To [...] 1:01 pm
My feet are killing me
Elections always involve a lot of walking. And this by election in Speke Garston ward is no exception. A few years ago I broke my leg quite badly. It healed.. but if I do too much walking it swells up. And yes.. after the last few days it has swollen up quite dramatically. So if you see me limping.. that's why! 12:57 pm
Arena progress
Yesterday's leisure and culture select committee ( a city council committee) heard an update on progress on the Kings Dock Arena. The whole thing sounds great and will be a fantastic bonus for the city. No more pushing off to Manchester for large events. There are quite a few things booked in already.. including the World Firefighter Games. What was particularly good to hear though was some of the environmental information. The building will harvest rainwater to reuse inside (flushing toilets is the main use), it'll have wind turbines on the roof, it will use ... 12:55 pm
Nothing is unplanned in politics
{Chrish} So, Lord Owen thinks Ming Campbell is too old? Well, he might not find much resistance to that idea (although I've been more impressed with the Lib Dem effort over the last few months), but his naming of Chris Huhne as the "young turk" to succeed as leader is telling. Lets put our conspiracy theory hats on. No-one as experienced as Lord Owen would shoot from the hip in this manner, so one must assume that Chris Huhne knew about this in advance. Fair enough, everyone likes an ego boost, and I'm sure Chris still hold ... 12:44 pm
Dudes, we have been here before - US Friendly Fire before the courts
The current uproar is not the first time US ‘Friendly Fire’ has come before the scrutiny of a British Coroner. The story of how US aircraft attacked UK troops during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, and how the US obstructed proceedings and for a long time couldn’t even muster an apology for the parents of the dead Brits, is told with burning restraint by Geoffrey Robertson QC in his book ‘The Justice Game’. The Coroner at that 1990's hearing recommended that UK armed forces should refuse to serve in combat with US armed forces until the ... 12:38 pm
Dartford Conservatives - vote blue, go green
The latest Dartford Conservative In Touch has fallen into my hands. On the back it has their Vote Blue, Go Green logo. I have indeed turned green. The lovely sheet of glossy paper, tells me to read it and recycle it. If it is printed on recycled paper, it doesn't say so! The main story trumpets the story that the Tories are opposed to the Dartford Crossing tolls. Interesting, this is what was 11:47 am
New kid on the block
Welcome to Tom McEvoy. 11:40 am
Maternity Services - Full Speed Astern
Over the past 20 or so years the "local midwife-led unit, based in a hospital or community clinic promoting natural births" have been closed down simply because there are complications during some pregancies that arise during the pregnancy. With the larger units it is possible to ensure that the skills necessary to deal with the very rare situations are on hand. There is not the time to move 11:10 am
Should he stay or should he go?
It was inevitable really, Rhodri Morgan says that the Assembly election campaign should be about Welsh issues, so the Western Mail rings around all the Labour AMs to ask them if they think Tony Blair should stand down before the May elections. The response was lukewarm to say the least. Only one Labour Assembly Member was prepared to offer unequivocal support for Tony Blair to stay on. The rest stuck to the party line, which is basically 'we are trying to pretend he is not there.' What was interesting for me was the admission that the Prime Minister ... 11:08 am
The Mayor of Hiroshima says No to Trident
Ever since Hiroshima was attacked with nuclear weapons the Mayor of Hiroshima (regardless of incumbent) has, after any nuclear tests, written to the country involved to remind them of the destruction and why they should cease the tests. I recently contacted the current Mayor - Tadatoshi Akiba - and explained the the Liberal Democrats were discussing the renewal of Trident and asked if he could write to Ming outline his, and Hiroshima's views. 10:42 am
Wrong Number?
One of my great failings is my aversion to leaving messages on answer-phone machines. When I ring someone and a machine answers, unless it gives the persons name and confirms I have the correct ... 10:32 am
CPA - Comprehensive Performance Assessment
The CPA report for Birmingham is now out. These are the pinnacle of the theory of management by targets. The public sector is now entirely dominated by targets. The problem with this approach is that it goes through phases. It starts with the targets being part of the management process, then gradually issues that don't appear in targets are considered not to matter. Finally, issues that 10:13 am
Welcome little Miss Lawrence
Congratulations to Lexi and Robin Lawrence on the birth yesterday of their daughter and sister for Edwin and Rupert. I hope to see her later this evening. 10:12 am
59
Is the average of councillors on principal authorities in England. So the gathering of 10 Birmingham councillors predominantly under 45 at the weekend for an I&DeA ran programme certainly didn't look like your average set of councillors. 10:03 am
Sleep stealing Scotrail
Like many others in my hometown of Irvine, I commute to Glasgow on a daily basis. The price is high (£127-50 a month) and the outward bound services rarely run to schedule in the mornings. This I can, and do, live with but their latest nonesense has me ready to blow a gasket! Up until the Christmas and New Year break my normal morning train was the 08.17, a six carriage unit which has a scheduled arrival in Glasgow Central at 08.52, getting me into my office for 9am. Each and every time I have taken this train since ... 9:48 am
1911 census to be released early
Great news from the Archives: the 1911 census of England and Wales will get an early release following a ruling by the Information Commissioner in favour of a genealogist who was seeking information under FoI rules. An online version will go live in 2009, 3 years earlier than planned, with a some sensitive data excised [...] 9:12 am
Morning papers: With enemies like this, who needs friends?
Lord Owen, a one-man swing state, has pronounced. Ming will be relieved. 9:00 am
Our parents have mortgaged our future
It’s a good job my father doesn’t read my blog, because I’m about to point the finger of blame firmly at his and his parent’s generation. Over Christmas I read Living with Leviathan: Public Spending, Taxes and Economic Performance, by David B. Smith, Visiting Professor in Business and Economic Forecasting at the University of Derby and a visiting lecturer at the Cardiff University Business School. The book is a long and detailed investigation of the pernicious effects of high levels of taxation and public spending on the economy. There are many findings and quite a few ... 8:50 am
The New Times
UPDATE - I was right, The Times website recieved something like 500% extra traffic on the day of their re-launch and it made the site fall to its knees pleading for death! According to a Guardian article anyway. Apparently there are 400,000 pages on the Times website and they changed them all at the same time [...] 8:42 am
CNS criticise Thaksin for remarks
The chief of the Council for National Security (CNS) Sonthi Boonyaratglin has gone on record to say that "the final chapter is near" for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He claims the people will judge him for his remarks concerning His Majesty the King. The comments were mad in an interview in Time magazine's February 12 issue that Sonthi says implied His Majesty the King backed the September 19 coup. Thaksin was quoted as saying. "It was the same with Thailand's 17 other coups. First, the people are shocked. Then they start to voice their concerns. And then ... 8:38 am
Sex offenders registering emails and usernames
Reid has suggested that sex offenders could be made to surrender their email address and usernames for chat rooms so they can be monitored to identify grooming. This strikes me as futile at least, or harmful in the worst case. This is simply because emails and usernames are so easy to get. An offender could give [...] 8:25 am
Tories start to throw stones in glass houses
With regard to the the local Guardian's article regarding the cost of the Grange Hill By-election, at a time when more and more people are disengaging with the electoral process the Conservatives are appearing to decide when residents in Epping Forest should be given their right to vote. In November 2002 the Conservatives called two by-elections in Waltham Abbey after two of their members 7:26 am
Menzies Campbell "too old" to be Lib Dem leader…
….says twenty-two year old David, from Westminster. More on the BBC. 2:46 am
Chocolate Teapot
The Tories are now claiming that they would scrap ID cards if they get into Government. This might provoke more universal joy if voters thought for a moment that this pledge meant anything. Perhaps they’ll hold a review and decide that the cost of abandoning it is greater than that of pressing on? Perhaps they’ll decide that ‘national security’ demands it, and u-turn again (remember, they voted for it when they thought it would make them look macho before the last election). The only constituency you might imagine could coerce them into sticking by their word would be the grassroots, ... 1:09 am
Go back to sleep Dr Owen
The problems with Dr David Owen’s assertion that Ming Campbell is too old to lead the party are numerous. His animosity towards the Liberal Democrats would probably be a good place to start; party members older than me will doubtless remember that in Ashdown’s early days as Leader of the fledgling party, its struggle for life against the rump SDP was very hostile. When finally Owen’s group crumpled beneath the weight of no votes, he appeared on television to urge members to join the “Conservative or Labour parties,” which is fairly indicative of how dear the party’s interests are to ... 12:32 am
Xavier takes Beach title
Xavier Malisse has won the Delray Beach title, beating top seed James Blake. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/tennis/6330543.stm A rather better result than his Oz Open run. I read an interview yesterday where Xav was asked about his haircut. He's just got rid of a pony tail after seven years and was asked if he thought he'd lose his power with his hair... Quite the opposite it seems. Early days in the 2007 season yet, but two titles in the bag - could this be the season Xav goes Top 10 at last? I don't think my mate Stu who ... 12:12 am
Budget setting: most important meeting of the year?
Tonight was the Full Council at which the budget for the coming financial year was "agreed" (so, sorry to Steve, my predecessor as opposition finance spoke, that's why I wasn't able to take your call). I was really surprised that there was hardly anyone there for the meeting. True, council meetings don't usually attract huge crowds. But there were only three people in the public gallery and (I think) only one member of the press - both lower than usual, despite the importance of the subject. Anyway, the meeting went well. Well, excepting the fact that local residents ... 
