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Week on the web
Andrew Alexander
The week began with Westminster startled by the news that John Prescott had confessed to suffering from bulimia.
If the reaction from the press had been largely sympathetic, many bloggers - as if Prescott needed more reasons to dislike them - were less so.
Jon Craig at Boulton & Co recalls a stunt with a pork pie at Labour conference in 1995, and notes that some commentators are sceptical.
Philip Oppenheim, once a Tory MP, recalls the time the MP for Hull hit him in the members' tea room.
But the biggest story of the week was the government's climb-down over the abolition of the 10p rate of income tax.
Wondering why the prime minister introduced the 10p rate and then abolished it? James O'Fee quotes Camilla Cavendish in the Times.
Channel 4's FactCheck examines Brown's claim that no one would be worse off from the change, and concludes that, by-and-large, he was right.
Does this U-turn spell doom for the government?
Red Box has contrasting views of how the move will be received inside and outside Westminster, noting that U-turns are not quite such a sin outside the beltway.
Many bloggers seemed sure that this will make it harder for the government to face down critics of extending detention without charge to 42 days, a vote which Boulton & Co notes has been put back a month.
The FT's Westminster blog sums up with the rebellion is over, long live the rebellion.
Kevin Maguire takes a more charitable view, but still thinks this could lead to a spring-cleaning of "wrong policies", including 42 days.
Ben Brogan notes the influence of former cabinet minister and serial trouble maker Frank Field, posting that his appearance on the Today programme "sounded like the over-eager colonel who has taken over the radio station while the deposed tyrant hides in his palace/heads for the airport".
Lord Norton uses Lords of the Blog to explain what some of those everyday phrases in the politer of the two Houses really mean.
On the subject of the Lords, which is soon to make a foray onto YouTube, well done to Parliament for finally adding much-needed captions to the video feed here.
The hacking of Harriet Harman's blog, with the Labour deputy leader apparently backing Boris for mayor, was drawing much attention this week - first spotted by Guido.
The London mayoral race is entering its final week, and it looks like a close run thing.
The Economist notes it is likely to rest on second preferences, while the English Democrats candidate has pulled out - although as his agent kindly notes, "the only way he can actually resign is if he dies".
The psephologist's guide to stopping Boris explains the electoral system for those determined to keep Johnson out.
Political Betting, meanwhile, says the polls have always overstated support for Ken Livingstone.
And Wantage MP Ed Vaizey reveals - in a story bound to make a newspaper diary near you soon - that he has met the keyboard player from D:Ream, the band behind new Labour signature theme Things Can Only Get Better.
Dr Brian Cox now works at Cern, the European centre for nuclear research, and is apparently planning to vote Tory.
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Published: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:53:43 GMT+01
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