southern comfort?

Independent Jones has put up a "guest post" by Caroline Flint MP.  You can read it here.  It is about her visit to Reading, with MPs Vernon Coaker and Alison Seabeck.  I think quite highly of Caroline Flint, although there are many who do not.  She is a clear thinker and a good communicator, both of which are important in politics.  Vernon Coaker is an all round decent bloke, and has a core of steel, the first of which is to be preferred in politics, and the second of which is essential.  Alison Seabeck, who represents a Plymouth constituency (you have to have something maritime in your name to get selected there I am told), I do not know at all, as we were never colleagues in the House.  Caroline makes the point that to form a government Labour has to win seats in the South.  True of course.  She expresses regret that Reading East was lost in 2005 and Reading West in 2010, in both cases after the departure of incumbent Labour MPs.  She doesn't say that the losses happened not only because of the departure of the incumbent, but because of moves by Reading Labour to secure a Tory victory in Reading East in 2005, and in both constituencies in 2010 to select candidates who were either embarrassing, as was Naz Sarkar in West, or crushed, as was Anneliese Dodds in East - she was kept away from the public and silenced.  Well, why would Caroline mention the above in this context?  I mention it myself because there is a further tale to tell about all that, which will be appearing later this year.  Oh and Cazza, do spell Rose Williams' name right.  It's not an impossibly exotic one or anything after all.  This is getting embarrassing.  I haven't seen a picture of Rose for weeks.

Speaking of forthcoming publications, thanks to all those who have bought my book Priors Gardens.  Mr Amazon doesn't tell you where the people who buy your book live, but there are some indications that it is selling quite well in Reading.  If you want to publish a review, that could be done here as well as on Amazon, and I'd be happy to read any you have.  You twentieth-century types out there may wish to know that the possibility is increasing that Priors Gardens will appear in a print remix later in the year.  Till then, get your copy on the right of this page.  And if you've never tried a Kindle, get one, they are fab.  My mother-in-law, who has Parkinson's, has got back the ability to enjoy books since she was given one for Christmas

This blog is going to have a mini revamp too.  Not (much) in the way it looks, because I like the rather minimalist Blogger style, but somewhat in content and layout, to reflect, oh, you know, our changing times.  It will probably be Easter, when I get a bit of time at home to mess around with such things, before that happens.  It will still be my gaff my rules, but I might allow a bit of guest posting and writing, or I might use a different place for that.  What do readers think?  Let me know, and let me know what kind of pieces you enjoy reading, or would like to see more of.  It's tedious to feel you have to comment, and life is often too short - I rarely comment on other blogs - and the number and location of visitors to the site, and the length of time they spend there (I like Sitemeter very much) doesn't tell you that much.