Tommy Sheridan has launched a bid to replace former Commons Speaker Michael Martin as MP for Glasgow North-East. The Solidarity Party leader has vowed to fight against MPs' expenses if he is successful in the upcoming by-election.

Having a blog with an extensive back catalogue means that every now and again an interesting email turns up when someone has googled something of interest to them. This week, Nivag Nosnikta has become my friend on friends reunited and someone researching into Planet of the Apes has been asking me for memories from when

A message from Compass  In Case Not Made Compass showed that the Hooper Report was fundamentally flawed! In April they proved that current market conditions meant the Post Office sell off could lose up to £900M for the Treasury. Even under better financial conditions, part privatisation never represented value for money for the tax payer. This win

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The Finance Minister of Sweden, which took the helm of the EU yesterday (1 July), said hedge funds and private equity firms needed to be regulated, but warned against "overzealous" initiatives as they should not be seen as the primary cause of the global financial crisis.

The nationalisation of the National Express route from Kings Cross to Edinburgh has rightly been getting a lot of attention. The taxpayer has just lost out to the tune of over £1 billion as a big company uses dodgy accounting...

John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, today told the House that his new deputy speakers should be elected by MPs. From the BBC: In a statement, he told MPs he wanted two deputy speakers from the government side and one from the opposition side. He is believed to be concerned that following his own

With Brown shifting his position on spending by the minute, it's worth highlighting this snippet from today's Guardian: "Treasury ministers, in particular, believe they can look at whether there will be a need for cuts at the time of the pre-budget report in the autumn. They intend to use the report to show the scale of projected future savings, as well as how frontline services and...

A few days ago I watched the first episode of the BBC's documentary Crude Britannia - which despite BBC3's growing reputation is actually about the history of oil and gas exploration and production in the UK. I guess I was drawn to it as its my industry, at least in part. I've spend a few months training to drill oil wells and being a rough neck, and what they tell you on the progra...

Chris Ostrowski, Labour’s candidate in the Norwich North by-election, has written to Norfolk’s Chief Constable, Ian McPherson, seeking a meeting to “sort out the issue of anti-social behaviour in our streets and parks”. Labour’s Chris Ostrowski said: “Today I have written to the Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary to ask for a meeting with him