Three story-shaped nuggets that are either joyful, woeful or ... erm ... madful. GOOD Britain is doing its bit for diplomatic relations by trying to defuse tension with Russia over the Alexander Litvinenko case. BAD Further depressing signs for the global economy - massive banking organisation IndyMac has been… read more…

It does what the headline says. GOOD Knife crime may not quite be the 'epidemic' many are claiming, says Sunny Hundal at The Guardian. BAD The SNP's Nicola Sturgeon reckons that poor people are pretty much screwed. MAD A couple of days old now, but so genuinely insane we… read more…

Shiny and new, this is. We bring you Westmonster's daily not-quite-unholy trinity of stories that fall into the following categories: good news, bad news and downright insane news, all handily linked-up for you good people to peruse. GOOD Oil crisis? Bah. We're all going to be just fine, says… 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…

Ignore what Forrest Gump said about life being 'like a box of chocolates.' Life is more like your local independent grocery store: it's overshadowed by market influences and nearer to closure with every passing day. A depressing thought, sure, but we're just helping the Labour-voting readers out there to… read more…

So Hillary Clinton has essentially conceded defeat to opponent Barack Obama, but this may not spell the end for a politically active incarnation of Mrs. C - oooohh no, not with rumours circulating that Obama may decide to choose her as his Presidential running mate. Let's take a look… read more…

Controversy-a-go-go as we get closer to the London Mayoral Election: former sports minister Kate Hoey has accepted a post as 'part of Boris Johnson's team' should the bumbling Tory pip Ken to the post. Bizarrely she is claiming the move doesn't compromise her status as a Labour MP, and… read more…

So Lord Levy's autobiography A Question Of Honour - kind of like A Question Of Sport, but hopefully not as utterly soul-destroying - has begun its inevitable serialisation prior to release, and all sorts of strange tidbits are emerging from the former aide to Tony Blair. Here's a meedja… read more…

Chances are you'll have heard by now: former Deputy PM John Prescott has revealed that his time in the Blair government was overshadowed by his battle with bulimia. A remarkable admission by many accounts, and - given the self-promoting, PR-driven dirge that most politicians reel out on a daily… read more…

So Silvio Berlusconi has swept to power in Italy once again, a decision which - thanks to his pro-US stance and general conservatism - has polarised both national and world opinion. Apart from, y'know, the vast majority of people who are more interested in watching Britains Got Talent than… read more…

Big news doing the mainstream meeja rounds: Irish PM Bertie Ahern has stepped down after 11 years in office due to controversy surrounding his financial affairs. Here's a quick roundup of the most interesting slants on the subject: Ahern's resignation statment in full: Guardian The view from sunny California:… read more…