Seventy one seconds.

Today's Use and Abuse of Statistics: of course ITV has 'won the ratings battle'. ITV screened the 1st England game, BBC didn't. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Of course Scotland fans are welcomed in Boston. The City is Irish. And that includes everyone who isn't. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

This is folly. Starmer should step down with dignity. Not cause chaos by digging-in. He's a decent man who brought Labour back from the brink. But he's not proven to be an effective PM.

Congratulations to Terry Stacy, former Islington Cllr, awarded OBE in The King's Birthday Honours List 2026.

I watched the BBC's live coverage yesterday evening from North Belfast in disbelief. Dan Johnson, BBC reporter on the spot, described burning barricades and "repeated barrages of rocks, stones, bits of wood ..." Yet he continued to call them "protestors" and "demonstrators". They were "rioters".

Didn't Corbyn's last minute lean into WASPI compensation convince 2019 voters that Labour was just pork barrelling votes. Oh also free broadband for everyone.

What happens when unionist sectarianism gets an ethno-nationalist boost? This sort of acute xenophobia. On first glance the bearded unwelcome people seem to be muslim but equally they look like turbaned Sikhs. Grim stuff. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

What is it with football fans in France? PSG wins the Champions League final and 780 get arrested in the "celebrations". www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Here's the spin: "the club's hierarchy believe the next phase requires a more front-foot, aggressive and urgent style of football." Nonsense. Liverpool peaked last season and struggled this. Departing players not replaced. Squad also experienced a huge tragedy. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

I've now read Tony Blair's 5,600 word essay. It's mainly commonplace platitudes laced with some quite bad ideas. Says Labour hasn't got a worked-out coherent plan. Gosh, who knew? But also says UK Govt should get closer to Trump and abandon net zero. That's mad. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Every time Green Party faces criticism, it's a "smear". No, it's valid criticism of an ugly stance taken by many Green activists that is seemingly in step with its Party leaders.

Arsenal Football Club is at the heart of Islington. Now they are League Champions. www.islington.media/news/leader-...

An unprecedented coalition of Conservative, LibDem, Green and Independents oust Reform UK. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The Leader of Islington Council has now announced her Executive team for the municipal year. I am pleased to be one of them.

Golly, Polanski admits a mistake that was "unintentional".

On this day, I'm remembering the death of John Smith on May 12th 1994. Would have been a fine Prime Minister. Blairism wouldn't have happened. History would have been so different.

This is very risky if the USA is involved. It's Trump's mess. We shouldn't be fixing it.

Labour Councillors elected in Caledonian Ward (Left to right) Oliur, Una, Emily and Paul pictured after the declaration Voters in Caledonian re-elected 3 Labour councillors to represent Caledonian ward on 7th May 2026. Voters throughout Islington returned a Labour majority in the Town Hall. There…

In Islington, the Green Party has found a few wedge issues to try peel off previously Labour voters. But their policies according to quite a short manifesto are really just “we want to run things”, good vibes and continuity Labour. They’ve targeted Labour voters so maybe this isn’t surprising.

I have always approved of local government elections being in thirds or halves. In previous times, it provided continuity and stability. Nowadays it does the opposite. Finely balanced Councils see control switch from one party group to another with each election. Better to have 4 year certainty.

Small boat arrivals are down by a third on the same period last year. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Symptom of self-discipline lacking amongst senior Ministers. Reeves ought not to fly kites like this. Cabinet government is meant to be collective.

Green Party leaflets ignored by residents in Caledonian Ward. Now placed in the recycle bins. The Green Party evidently thinks that more leaflets = more votes. It doesn't. This is an error the Lib Dems made in previous times here in Islington.

The 2026 Cally Festival is all set for 5th July The Cally Festival will be on Sunday 5th July from noon to 6pm. It's the biggest street festival in Islington. Each year we close the road and put on an event that showcases the best of Cally: live music on 3 stages, childrens' activities, dance,…

Today I read a leaflet in my ward (Caledonian) saying that, in 2022, the Green Party came in "clear second" place. Not exactly. They got 14% of the vote. Two percentage points ahead of the Conservatives. Sometimes truth really dies at election time.

The President of the United States of America. A demented fool. A dangerous one.

Wireless Festival is cancelled after the government stops headline act Kanye West entering UK. Also good news for the thousands of Islington, Hackney and Haringey residents who live near to Finsbury Park.

Many people support prison reform and think that some custodial sentences are disproportionate. I am one of them. But “no prisons” is kinda utopian. Also dangerous.

The US President is a deranged and dangerous fool.

This is the sort of weird conspiracy theory stuff that permeates fringe political parties: prominent Green Party candidate says the suspects arrested for the Hatzola ambulance arson attack in Golders Green were "white, probably even Jewish" www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

Republicans lost a by-election for the Florida legislature yesterday. The district includes Trump's own Mar A Lago resort. Democrat Emily Gregory flipped the seat. Trump voted by post. I thought he opposes mail-in voting. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Denmark's Social Democrats remain the largest party group Danish parliament but "had its worst general election since 1903". Maybe Labour should not try copying some of their more controversial policies? www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Cally hero, Mana Abbas, recognised at Islington’s civic awards callylabourcouncillors.org.uk/2026/03/24/c...

Cally hero, Mana Abbas, recognised at Islington’s civic awards Islington's annual civic awards ceremony on Monday evening, 23rd March, included recognition of a true Cally Hero, Mana Abbas. Eight awards were given by the Mayor of Islington, Cllr Jason Jackson, to residents whose community work…

Trump blinked. He's a hopeless negotiator.

Islington Council Leader’s statement on yesterday’s anti-Jewish arson attack in Golders Green. Police in Islington are now operating closely with our Parkguard service to deliver regular patrols around the Chabad Lubavitch Synagogue and community centre. www.islington.media/news/islingt...

Trump's response: "I'm glad he's dead". Every day Trump sinks lower.

I have no doubt that Trump is a dangerous and stupid man. And the economic effects of his insane war are becoming widely understood. Here's how my invested ISA has crashed. Now it's got personal.

Trump calls his war on Iran a "Military Operation". Is it a "special military operation"? www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx...

This morning we raised the flag of Ireland over Islington Town Hall. Irish roots run deep in our Borough. Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh.

"One day, son, this war will be over."

Negotiating with Starmer to keep Farage out of power: Nah. Negotiating with Vladmir Putin: Sure thing. Also Zack Polanski: Starmer shouldn't negotiate with Trump, he isn't to be trusted!

Mandelson wanted £547,000 severance after his sacking as US Ambassador. Turns out was paid off with £75,000. I would have paid him precisely zero. What would he do, go to an employment tribunal? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Times have changed. I remember the Royal Navy's "Armilla patrol" which provided security to shipping in the Gulf continuously from 1980 up until 2011 when it evolved into "Operation Kipion" and then dwindled to nothing. Why? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armilla...

Fake school violence condemned as ‘malicious clickbait’ Example of disinformation memes that have proliferated online Cally Councillor Paul Convery has condemned the AI-generated claims of "school wars" across London. But he has also urged parents and schools to remain vigilant. The Met Police has…

Sure there's been a spike in oil prices today. But the world economy is much better insulated from oil price shocks than in previous crises. In large part that's because the world economy is less reliant on hydro-carbon energy.

This is utterly foolish. US forces aren’t being used for a “defensive purpose”.

Thames Water boss is blasted by Islington’s Council Leader After the Thames Water pipe burst and catastrophic flood the clean-up continues on Caledonian Road. Islington Council's leader has written to Thames Water's Chief Executive criticising "years of neglect and inaction." Cllr O'Halloran who…

The Green Party in Islington has now repudiated an electoral pact with Islington Community Independents, a Corbyn-leaning fledgling political party. Only months ago they promised not to stand against each other. It was a called a "non-aggression pact". But it's broken down after barely six months.”