Three opposing sides of a news-flavoured triangle. GOOD Hazel Blears is on a crusade to rejuvenate local politics and strengthen communities. BAD According to Iain Dale, ITV has axed their last political show and have no plans to replace it. Still - there's always room for another series of… read more…

One can't help but wonder whether the government presently operates with the jingly-jangly music of a 1920s slapstick film running on permanent loop in the background. Not only have we recently seen cases in which top-secret documents were left on a train, but now it transpires that Communities Secretary… read more…

"Life is difficult". This was the sage-like, pop-savvy message that Communities Secretary Hazel Blears used to defend Gordon Brown after the Tories argued that the PM is responsible for the current economic crisis. In answer to her edifying yet obvious comment Westmonster would like to respond with the following: "No… read more…

The cost of living in Britain is become unbearable. Sure, life may be just rosy if you're a TV executive getting paid thirty million pounds per second to come up with ideas like The Little Girl With Seven Chins or Stalinist Cannibal Holiday Cruise, but what about life for… read more…

This was announced yesterday on the Government News Network: An historic new written agreement which will radically transform the relationship between central and local government and which sets out unprecedented new freedoms for local areas and communities has been signed by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears and LGA Chairman Sir Simon… read more…

Watch out, Chris Tarrant, there's a new game show coming to a local election near you. That's right, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears is about to be presented with a set of recommendations from the independent Councillors Commission, which includes a proposal that voters in local government elections be entered into… read more…

News comes via The Guardian of the Government's new approach to getting immigrants to integrate: Tell councils and agencies to stop translating official forms and documents, and they'll magically learn English. Hooray! Problem solved!… read more…

Intriguing gossip reaches the Westmonster lugholes regarding last night's "most influential people in local government event," hosted by the Local Government Chronicle at County Hall. In attendance were the brightest of the local government glitterati, although curiously the Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government the Right… read more…

Those whom the Gord doesn't like very much die young. Either that or get the immigration brief. One of the two. Poor ol' Hazel Blears has been on the wrong end of a skewering today from Humphrys over the cost of immigration to local councils, related to the fact that in Slough… read more…

As Ladbrokes stop taking bets on an autumn election and Hazel Blears is already tiring her Cabinet colleagues out with her relentless enthusiasm for the the idea, it looks like Brown's popularity with the public has never been more orgasmic. Following the recent YouGov poll that put Labour 11 points ahead, party… read more…

The assembled masses who had battled with the hangover to attend the Question and Answer session with Hazel Blears, Harriet "I Am A Woman" Harman, and James Purnell were treated to a debacle that would have had David Dimbleby wincing. For starters, whether Keith Vaz, who was chairing the… read more…