HomeBlogs & ViewsBirmingham Mail ColumnistsJon Walker

Lord Roy gives Gordon a cryptic clue

IF THERE'S anyone who knows what Gordon Brown is going through, it's got to be former Birmingham MP Roy Hattersley. Read

Paranoia... or a plot?

GORDON Brown's team are getting increasingly nervous. Read

Feuding with the big man

TEMPERS are becoming frayed in the Labour Party. Read

Missing cases in family campaign

GOOD news for campaigning MP John Hemming. Tesco has agreed to sell his single through its online store. Read

Challenge for Steve

BIRMINGHAM MP Steve McCabe has a challenge on his hands as he manages Labour's campaign in the Crewe by-election. Read

Right decision in road charges row

WEST Midlands councils came in for some stick when they turned down the opportunity to pilot a road pricing scheme in the region. Read

A burden for Blair

THERE may be a feeling of déjà vu for Richard Burden MP when he quizzes Tony Blair next week. Read

No relief for Lord Jones back in Brum

DIGBY Jones escaped the plotting and backstabbing of Westminster to take part in a debate on immigration in Birmingham last week. Read

Concentrating on the enemy

ALONG with Ed Balls and Tom Watson, the Labour MP for West Bromwich East, Mr Brown's best political friends include Ian Austin, the MP for Dudley North. Read

Enoch speech gained in translation

THE anniversary of Enoch Powell's "rivers of blood" speech has been and gone, prompting discussion of the issues he raised. Read

Easier targets

EVEN the mightiest warrior can mellow as the years go by. So it is with John Spellar (Lab Warley), one of the most battle-scarred figures on the Labour benches. Read

Home truths from Liam

A REPORT by the House of Lords warns that immigration does not bring economic benefits to existing residents, and can help create a housing shortage. Read

Roger raps T5 blunders

RECENT events have made MPs less forgiving than ever towards corporate executives who reap huge rewards for failure. Read

Tom fixed it for Bevin Boy Jim

NOT many people can say they fixed it for Jimmy Savile. But Black Country MP Tom Watson made the television celebrity's dream come true. Read

The price of independence

BEING independent has its advantages and its pitfalls. Read

You may speak - whoever you are

THE Speaker of the House of Commons is supposed to know the name of every MP and recognise them instantaneously. Read

Could have been a dragon

YARDLEY MP John Hemming narrowly avoided becoming a television celebrity, he reveals. Read

Togetherness set to pay dividends

THE Birmingham Mail's campaign for a referendum on a directly-elected mayor has re-awakened interest in the issue at Westminster. Read

Hullabaloo over number 10 toilets

CONSERVATIVES are up in arms over reports that the gents in 10 Downing Street are being refurbished. Read

No blanket support for Digby

LORD Jones of Birmingham, Digby Jones to his friends, was in his home city as Labour held its Spring Conference at the ICC this month. Read