Bearing Up Well

Westmonster thinks that it is fair to say that the lobby were unimpressed with Gord's performance at PMQs yesterday, with bears (baiting thereof) being the metaphor of choice. The Times has Brown as a grizzly, the Independent chooses a brown bear, Simon Hoggart in the Guardian merely goes for your bog-standard average bear, and the Telegraph sees him as a bear in chains. But, as Westmonster's former intern always used to warn her, you'd never ultimately win a fight against a bear because they are extremely versatile animals who can move fast, swim, and climb trees. Fact.
Meanwhile, Ming Campbell's favourite metaphor to describe Brown's part in the election-that-wasn't relates to the Grand Old Duke of York marching his men up to the top of the hill and down again. That Ming was actually on this parade is causing consternation and talks of a leadership challenge amongst the LibDem grassroots.
Kids from more "suitable" schools more likely to get into Oxbridge shock.
The Guardian reckons that George Osborne's become a "heavyweight." Okay, so the Tories have had a good week but lets not drown in the hyperbole yet, eh chaps?

There may be a vote in the House of Commons on whether there should be a referendum on the EU Treaty. The whips' office have presumably got a change of underwear, a job-lot of titles such as "Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on Whether Puppies Are Nice," and a vat of whiskey on standby.
Opinion is divided amongst the blogging comrades as to whether industrial action is a good thing in this day and age. Seb's Blag takes a distinctly unbrotherly approach to the striking postal workers, whilst Iansredblog thinks that the Government should be arrested as class traitors for suggesting that the prison officers shouldn't be allowed to.
Finally, Lembit Opik's support for staffers in the Commons of Queuegate becomes clear. "Nobody wants to send their staff to get coffee, and be told it would be quicker if they got it themselves," he tells the Times' Hugo Rifkind, demonstrating an admirable concern over ~~the horror of his tea not arriving on his desk piping hot~~ staff rights.