Dizzy takes up our refrain that more Civil Servant bloggers would be a good, not a bad, thing, with a useful list of tips for civil service bloggers. We particularly liked : Gender switch your blogging personality, as well as changing your age Now we have this image of Dizzy… read more…

Westmonster can't just leave well enough alone, which is why we return to Dizzy's aforementioned piece on the race factor in the U.S. election, and the impact Obama's campaign might have on perception of America internationally. Unlike Dizzy's "American friend," we don't think he's calling out America as inherently racist.… read more…

Westmonster turns its head toward America today, as the big political story has Illinois U.S. Senator Barack Obama and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee taking the Iowa Presidential Selection Caucuses on the Democratic and Republican sides, respectively. Democratic Senators Joe Biden (Delaware) and Christopher Dodd (Connecticut) dropped out of the… read more…

We were going to write a long, thoughtful post on government IT, bringing in our own experiences from the land of private technology and web media, and it was going to be really good. But then bloody Dizzy Thinks wrote it instead. His point is this: until government IT is… read more…

Sorry this is late; Westmonster's got a problem in her ... Actually, no. You don't want to know. Harriet Harman clings on to power after it is revealed that she accepted £5,000 through an intermediary of David Abrahams. But for how long? Last night, and using no lesser mortal divinity… read more…

BONG! In the debate on the Queen's Speech today, attention was turned to (amongst other things) new-build housing. The Tories were all: what do we want? Lots of new housing! Where do we want it? Nowhere near my million pound pad thank you very much! BONG! The inter-party slapping over… read more…

There are some things in political life for which the term "awesome horror" is too weak a description, and one of these is Greg Knight MP's online photo album. A huge hat tip to Dizzy who has obviously suffered much from watching Mr Knight's slide show, which is accompanied by… read more…

BONG! Dizzy reports that Lord Malloch-Brown has been given first dibs on the accommodation train set. BONG! And the prize for the most evocative phrase of the day goes to Mr Eugenides for this post on the recent "obesity is society's fault" stylings of Alan Johnson. Mr Eugenides: "Well, wake up… read more…

At the end of a terrible week for Brown, there is at least a shred of comfort: Compass have got together, pushed the envelope, thought outside the box, and controlled the orchestra (or something) and offered Brown some advice on how to sort his shit out! It's all "progressive… read more…

Don't listen to the Government's advice; it'll give you cancer, warns the Independent. In spite of the angry, nasal squealing inflicted on the Chamber by the Boy George yesterday, Peter Riddell reckons that the Eyebrow has played a blinder in knackering the Tories' advantage. Tory blogosphere: hang your head… read more…

BONG! Those geniuses (genii?) at Labour HQ have discovered another way to irritate the electorate - all hail! Not only are members of the public subjected to a form of market research (called Voter ID) when they open the door to a red rosette-wearing canvasser, but now they've removed the need… read more…

BONG! Ben Brogan has nailed his trousers to the mast and come out against there being an election called this autumn, and Dizzy concurs. BONG! Some hi-LAR-ious graphics over at ConservativeHome which involve chickens (present) and guts (lack thereof).… read more…

Are we bovvered that Cameron managed to avoid political suicide in Blackpool yesterday? Oh no, not us, not at all. Couldn't care less actually. Ahem. Right, so Peter Riddell reckons that he did well, but stopped just short of a slam-dunk, the Independent thinks the boy did good, Ros Taylor… read more…

Arnold Schwarzenegger disappointed Conservatives a few months ago when he announced that he couldn't address their Conference in person because he didn't want to be tarred by association with a crappy brand was washing his hair. Nevertheless, he managed to chat to the Tories via video link yesterday, and… read more…

Westmonster is currently watching the bloke from YouGov trying to explain to whichever fruity blonde is doing the morning slot on News 24 that the results from yesterday's council by-elections cannot be extrapolated to give the Tories a lead, should a general election be called tomorrow. The poor pollster has… read more…

Trade unions set to utilise their bloc vote over public sector pay: the last time that they can use this method of holding the Labour executive to account. After the, er, reforms to party structure go through next week, the composite motion will be a thing of the past. Worry ye… read more…