MPs, in the wake of discgate, are calling for criminal sanctions for those who mishandle personal information. Westmonster is confident that the lack of a law is the real problem, not that "Gary" at HMRC is taking his laptop home to play Second Life. The Independent publishes poll averages,… read more…

Isn't "Inquiry into Propriety and Peerages" a much nicer name than "cash-for-honours"? Well done the Indy. Also, isn't Lord Levy a scoundrel? He's been trying to stop the publication of a major piece of evidence in the old "here's my donation and here's your title" scandal (Westmonster tries, and fails,… read more…

Okay. Sit down. Find something comforting to clutch onto. You might be shocked by this: Brightest poor children do worse than wealthy but dim classmates (!) Pick that jaw up off the floor, it's true. The Sutton Trust and the LSE have been thinking long and hard about this one.… read more…

The BBC: The government (well, Ed Balls) is unveiling its 10-year "vision" for children. Those quotation marks look ominous. Schools are going to have refurbished playgrounds and the like, to "increase play opportunities for children" (Westmonster's non-ominous quotation marks). Sounds very business-like, "play opportunities." Meanwhile, over in The Guardian,… read more…

The Government plan to claw-back funds from state schools has been shelved after bad publicity consultation with key stakeholders. Remember folks, even if 100 schools had said they thought the policy was a good one, the Gord would still not have gone ahead with it. Lorely Burt is the… read more…

Clegg is set to announce his candidacy at 11.30am, as the Guardian reports that the non-appearance of Steve Webb at the starting blocks has boosted little Nicky's campaign. Quite how the Liberal Democrats will be able to keep up this level of excitement for the next two months, Westmonster really has no… read more…

BONG! Wee Matty D'Ancona reports on the Charge of the Light Brigade against the Gord, led by former Lord Chancellor, Charlie Falconer. A week may be a long time in politics, but the memories of m'lud's rumoured partners in battle - former Blairites Charles Clarke, Alan Milburn, and Stephen Byers -… read more…

After yesterday's excitement with Gord going all "grrrrr! Smash!" on Cameron's ass and the consequent Bear Metaphor Massacre in the broadsheets, it looks like the ladies and gentlemen of the fourth estate have feasted well and are now looking for dessert elsewhere. Whilst Ming Campbell might not look like a… read more…

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… 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…