Irrepressable Nature

I've been reading an abridged version of Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West recently, or Monkey as we know it. And it's excellent. It's on ITV4 twice a week (Thursdays and Fridays at 6pm) if you're in the UK. I also recommend the Monkey Heaven site for much simian paraphenalia.

cui bono

So, Labour's in disarray according to anyone with a page or time slot to fill; and yes, I recognize the irony of commenting on that myself. Some have more to say than others: about 1/3 of the Guardian's front page is pictures of briefcases... Nevertheless, while Clarke, Hewitt and Prescott do their utmost to embarass themselves, you have to ask who benefits from these shambles? Clearly there are local elections next week, so this would appear to be a great opportunity for Labour's rivals.
The Tories are on shaky ground trying to make political capital here: they can't play the Prescott sleaze card without calling a kettle black, no swing voters could seriously trust them to improve the NHS and their election strategy seems to consist of Dave Cameron standing on a Norwegian ice floe.
The Lib Dems meanwhile couldn't organize a leadership election among MPs let alone run an effective local election campaign nationally, so what hope does their dynamic "Mingis" have?
Of course, both parties (and others) will reap the votes of the disaffected and Labour will have a poor Thursday night and Friday morning next week. The worse they do, the more pressure on the New Labour leadership and TB. Silent Gordon is clearly hoping for more skeletons to emerge over the next few days.

Shift down

At the risk of being called a hypocrite, let me point you in the direction of National Downshifting Week. This -- albeit horribly designed -- web site has advice on how to lead a more relaxed lifestyle and save money to boot. It's not all completely thought through, but it is worth the read, particularly when it comes to initiatives relating to the company you work for.