Brenda and backbiting

Embarrassment came to Ruth Kelly on Monday, when she was fingered for using her Communications Allowance to produce a leaftlet that was all, "Labour am the greatest party EVAH," which is against the rules. Much outrage.

The Queen's Speech on Tuesday caused fevered speculation ... wait, no. Seeing as the Gord had announced everything in July at the pre-Queen's speech, everybody was trying to work up the enthusiasm to re-report everything that we all failed to get excited over in the summer. Brilliant. Still, Brenda managed to get her kissing gear around the rather weirdly phrased and distinctly Brown-esque sentence formulation of  "reflecting the rising aspirations of the electorate in line with fiscal projections that encompass prudent public spend on key public services according to the dictates of the progressive consensus in the provision of state-based services ... et cetera."

More new houses, a possible extension of 28 day detention, and forcing da yoof to stay in education until they are 18 were the main new announcements.

But everyone seemed more interested by Jack Straw who (in his role as Lord Chancellor) got a new set of togs and walked backwards, and that the Gord managed to make conversation with the Boy Cameron on the way to the Chamber, although the TV shots of Davy's pained expresson rather makes one wonder if he experienced this as less "amicable chat" than being on the receiving end of a hectoring from the Jolly Green Giant. In summary: Jack managed to put one foot behind the other, and Cameron and Brown had a conversation. We're telling you, folks, it ALL happens in the Houses of Parliament.

The truce between the party leaders broke down as soon as they arrived back in the Commons Chamber with Davy shouting across the Dispatch Box at Brown over the inheritance tax proposals. Davy: WE thought of them first! The Gord: no WE did. Davy: YOU thought of them after us! The Gord: like, NO WAY, dude! Continues ad tedium, and Cameron gets a big star next to his name on Brown's "to disappear" list.

On Wednesday Defence Minister Lord Drayson announced his resignation, apparently because he wanted to spend more time with his car. However, later in the week rumours of a less cheerful nature emerged: did m'lud tender his resignation because of frustration with the bureaucracy and underfunding within the Department?

As the debates on the Queen's Speech continued to rumble on during Thursday, Cameron celebrated by announcing that he wanted to facilitate the grass roots' establishment of Coldplay Madrassas and slagging off Manchester. Nice one. In the afternoon the Treasury released documents which the comrades claimed sooooo proved that they thought of reforming the inheritance tax first. The general consensus is, however, that the "evidence" stopped short of a slam-dunk.