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.”

There's online memes and TikToks apparently organising and publicising a "war" between schools in Boroughs and even between Boroughs. Naturally, many parents are worried. But it's not real. It's malicious online clickbait. We all need to be calm about this not panicked.

I have always admired the writing style of the Economist. Consistently good for decades. This opening paragraph is a wonderfully pithy summary of the fall of Andrew whats-his-name.

Very sad news. A fantastic actor. Not great at politics. But Latin American philanthropic work was sound. Best performance: with DeNiro in True Confessions (1981).

The latest calamity at Tottenham clearly isn't about Thomas Frank's managerial and coaching abilities. The club is in turmoil, the players lack discipline and ambition. The departure of Postecoglu, Levy and now Frank is a pattern not a one-off. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

This will never happen but it's lunacy for Starmer's faction to even threaten it.

Steve Rosenberg reports that Russia says assassination attempt is Ukraine trying to derail Abu Dhabi peace process. But it's equally likely responsibility was someone inside Russia trying that. www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

Another excellent Osley column in today’s Islington Tribune. Another opportunity for me therefore to cosey-up to the editor-in-chief of the CNJ titles.

These extraordinary revelations aren't just some kind of Ministerial Code breach, they're surely criminal offences?

Nominations are open for the 2026 Cally Awards To celebrate the Cally and our strong community, the first annual Cally Awards ceremony will be held at the end of March. Nominations are now open for anyone to propose a great Cally hero for recognition. We are looking to celebrate individuals,…

Cally Councillor, Sara Hyde, makes her first speech as a member of the House of Lords Cally Councillor Sara Hyde made her first ("maiden") speech in the House of Lords yesterday, Thursday 29th January. Sara gave one of the most memorable first speeches heard in Britain's second legislative…

Labour’s 2026 candidates in Caledonian Ward Labour's Cally team: Paul, Una and Oliur The three Labour candidates for Caledonian Ward at the May 2026 local elections have now been chosen. Current Councillors Paul Convery and Una O'Halloran are now joined by Oliur Rahman. This follows Cllr Sara Hyde…

This is a very lucid argument. Summarised: The problem "is not environmental regulation itself, but an adversarial planning system that incentivises pre-emptive risk aversion.

Text of Trump's ramble in Davos. It's worth reading just to understand how absolutely venal he is. And utterly tone deaf. Claimed USA won WW2 and “without us, you’d all be speaking German.” He said this in Switzerland where the majority language is German. www.weforum.org/stories/2026...

This is a disgusting thing that Trump said. Britain’s forces took 457 deaths from combat in Afghanistan. He has a fucking nerve, go tell the British Army they weren’t on the front line in Kandahar.

Four very difficult, very salient urgent questions in the Commons today.

If this is really provably true, then all those people around Trump, the military leadership, the Senate and House, the tech Bros and the corporate titans, just have to say no to him.

This is not a "silly" idea at all. Might be a good opportunity for EUFA to demonstrate a bit of backbone too.

As political grovels go, this is off the dial.