So much for taking a step back and writing his book, Ken Livingstone continues to make his voice heard, this time by launching a new coalition. The Progressive London blog is available here.

Lynne Featherstone has re-opened the debate following that Hazel Blears speech on political engagement.

This Liberal Democrat blogger criticises the Sun for its coverage of rumours that London mayoral candidate and former Police chief Brian Paddick will appear on reality TV show "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me out of Here".

Elsewhere, shadow Europe minister David Jones reflects on the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey and David Miliband casts his mind back to a 1970s Remembrance Sunday.

Barack Obama's victory in the US election dominated proceedings at this week's prime minister's questions, but the Independent's Open House claims the Commons failed to capture the magic of the day.

And as politicians from across the House immersed themselves in Obamamania, Tomos Livingstone advises David Cameron to focus on being the new Mr Cameron, and not the new president-elect.

Liberal Burblings' Paul Walter is delighted with the result, but In The Brown is more cynical.

Elsewhere, Guido has something to say about Hazel Blears' claim that he is among the bloggers fuelling "cynicism and despair" in politics.

The Guardian picks up on this Parliament interactive feature on the original Guy Fawkes.

And John Prescott, who was campaiging in Glenrothes today ahead of the by-election, apparently got a telling off from staff at Waverley station for leaving his bags unattended.

As decided by this month's Monitor magazine.

1) JOHN PROFUMO No surprises here. Before political scandals took the suffix 'gate', we had the Profumo affair, a heady mix of calls girls, an aristocratic minister and Russian agents.

2) JEREMY THORPE This one was known as "Rinkagate", after the dog at the centre of events leading to the Liberal leader's trial.

3) JOHN STONEHOUSE The disappearance of the indebted Labour MP from a Miami Beach in 1974 - only to turn up months later alive and well in Australia - bore an uncanny resemblance to the plot of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, written earlier that year.

Read more »

Nick Robinson suggests that next week's Glenrothes by-election will have widespread implications for Scottish nationalism.

Guido reveals that Downing Street changed the submission date for questions to the prime minister on the Number 10 website. Putting it back two weeks meant that, among others, the Taxpayers' Alliance and Guido's own questions were deemed too late.

In the Coffee House Fraser Nelson finds that like Alistair Darling's Mais lecture, George Osborne's speech to the LSE was rather long with no discernable points of action. No matter how much you say the word "responsible"(10 times, in his case), it just doesn't add up to a policy, he says.

David T at Harry's Place is surprised by the white supremacist Barack Obama supporters including Tom Metzger, former Grand Dragon of Ku Klux Klan and the director of White Aryan Resistance.

A former Tory minister has just suggested to the House that peers should be able to claim expenses for the time it takes to dispose of their junk mail.

The Press Association reports that Lord Renton (formerly Tim, Margaret Thatcher's chief whip), said last week he received four plastic bags of the stuff sent to him at the Lords.

"I weighed them," he said. "They came to 19 pounds in weight. Would it not be more helpful perhaps if we were allowed to add an expense to our expenses covering the cost and time and expense of getting rid of all this junk mail?"

In the interests of ensuring that you can't escape the Brand/Ross controversy, Tory MP David Jones says "watching BBC TV or listening to BBC radio feels like being force-fed a diet of raw sewage".

The Guardian's Michael White takes a more relaxed view, noting that "for a 'scandal' of such alleged magnitude, it's been a slow burn".

Labour MP Kerry McCarthy: how to tell which English MPs are obsessed with "getting their numbers up" on theyworkforyou.

Clegg gets the message right at PMQs, says the Coffee House.

The Telegraph's Daniel Hannan on Britain's "greatest living politician" Margaret Thatcher - who last night attended a Bruges Group dinner celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Bruges speech.

David Miliband on Iran and its "egregious" President Ahmadinejad.

The FT's Westminster blog questions how Gordon Brown's "independent" IMF would work in practice.

Dizzy is concerned that the government's plans to increase borrowing will lead to "massive" tax rises.

Steve Green does not trust Gordon Brown on the economy.

Labour's recovery will be confirmed if it manages to hold onto Glenrothes in next week's by-election, says Mike Smithson

Dave Hill features Ken Livingstone's eight point plan to help London cope with the economic downturn, and refuses to speculate about the coincidental timing of Boris Johnson's own plan for the capital's economy.

ConservativeHome picks up on this story from earlier in the month about the "aggressive tactics" used by Lord Mandelson when he was European trade commissioner.

Chris Paul revisits this photo of George Osborne looking like "something out of Trollope".

Spiked editor Brendan O'Neill on the bogeyman of Thatcherism.

Ken Livingstone's Socialist Economic Bulletin commends the FT's economics commentator Martin Wolf for being "extremely serious" in his analysis of the financial crisis.

Donal Blaney on the uncomfortable truths of the 'war on terror' and why he is pleased that Conservative Home's Tim Montgomerie has endorsed John McCain.

Nick Robinson provides a comprehensive guide to what George Osborne did or didn't do on a boat in Corfu.

Iain Martin at Three Line Whip warns Osborne was playing with fire in the form of Peter Mandelson, likening the story to a grenade which has exploded underneath the shadow chancellor.

Recess Monkey is revelling in the story, while Guido claims that Tony Blair was involved.

However Conservativehome comes to the aid of Osborne, with a 10-point reminder of his value to the Tories.

Meanwhile Melanie Phillips aims her fire at a difference top Tory, with a fierce attack on Boris Johnson's "neo-con derangement syndrome".

The interesting tale of what went on in Corfu over the summer is revealing on a number of points.

Firstly that Peter Mandelson was the guest of Russian oligarch Olieg Deripaska and Nathaniel Rothschild confirms a New Labour tendency to be fascinated with the fabulously wealthy.

Reading Alastair Campbell's diaries reveals his concerns that the now Lord Mandelson had a risky tendency to court the favour of the rich - a tendency that does not seem to have abated despite two related cabinet resignations.

The other interesting aspect is the Conservative Party's mishandling of the press.

It is said that Rothschild's damning intervention (writing to the Times alleging George Osborne discussed a Tory donation from Deripaska on his yacht) was sparked by his anger that Mandelson's private musings at a party attended by the shadow chancellor were repeatedly pushed to the UK media.

On balance it appears that the Conservatives have rather shot themselves in the foot in their eagerness to bring press attention to Lord Mandelson, something that most commentators seem to believe he is more than capable of doing himself.

The FT Westminster blog on Tory proposals to give struggling small businesses a VAT holiday.

Abortion campaigner Nadine Dorries accuses the government of being "arrogant" in its approach to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which returns to the Commons this week.

There is some truth in allegations that the mainstrain media has a liberal bias, according to Pickled Politics.

David Cameron has got his priorities wrong, says Labour MP Kerry McCarthy.

John Rentoul takes exception to his colleague Steve Richards' column in the Independent this morning.

Conservativehome has been briefed on the Tory strategy for getting through the prime minister's golden period on the economy.

Guido has news that Gordon Brown will campaign in the Glenrothes by-election.

And Dizzy suggests what to get every true Conservative for Christmas.

Today's banking bail-out represents the end of an era, says Tomos Livingstone.

Community Care ponders Alistair Darling's shopping list.

The chancellor has been celebrating, if the Three Line Whip blog is anything to go by.

Iain Dale puts Nick Clegg on top at the first PMQs since the summer recess, and Tory Bear attacks the prime minister for his "cheap shot" at David Cameron.

Elsewhere, politicalbetting takes the credit for setting the date of the Glenrothes by-election and Alpha Mummy examines the effectiveness of a smacking ban.

Chicken Yoghurt remains unconvinced by Gordon Brown's new team.

Steve Green on the odds that Peter Mandelson will quit the cabinet before the next election.

By which time Alastair Campbell is likely to have returned to the political frontline, says Liberal Conspiracy.

Elsewhere, Douglas Carswell accuses the BBC of bullying private businesses with this item on Starbucks' use of water.

And Brian Taylor hopes for an absence of piffle and tosh in next month's Glenrothes by-election.