David MacLean

Remember when city councillor Manish Sood stuck the knife into Gordon Brown back in April? With just 45 hours to go until the polls opened, Sood slammed the leader of his own party. As every media outlet in the country picked up the story, Peter...

City cabinet member Sarah Russell has started a blog. In her first post she says that trying to fit blogging into her hectic day might prove tough, as a mother of two who juggles work and politics. I struggle to update this blog every day and all I do...

He's never short of something to say, but this week John Thomas came out with a line with summed up the crisis facing the city if no new burial ground is created: "If you want to be buried in Leicester, you'd better hurry up and...

Rory Palmer's a charmer isn't he? I turned up to last night's Castle by-election count in my finest overcoat, a new shirt and pair of jeans, and took a seat. "Have you come straight from the boozer David?" he asked. Presumably he was more flattering...

A very naughty councillor, who is clearly a fan of Channel 4's Countdown, got in touch last night. He'd spotted that the name of the Lib Dem candidate in tonight's Castle by-election is (almost) a coalition-themed anagram. Troy Lavers becomes Tory...

COUNTY HALL - Wednesday July 14 - 2pm A few weeks ago I took my gran along to the Apple store in Leicester to show her an iPad. My fingers danced across the shiny screen, I blitzed through folders full of photos to show her its capabilities, and...

A list of Lord Mayor Colin Hall's weekly engagements has just arrived on my desk. Thursday 22nd July: 10:00  -  Lord Mayor & Guests  -  Buckingham Palace Garden Party Stay away from Prince Philip, he'll only be a bad...

I'm off up to county hall from about 1pm onwards. There's plenty of catching up to do with councillors and officers alike, and the scrutiny commission kicks off at 2pm. Just one word of warning; if you're a politician who's likely to be knocking around...

What have you done in the past year? That's the question that will be put to Prospect Leicestershire chairman Nick Carter (below left) by the county council's scrutiny panel on Wednesday. The former Mercury editor will sit alongside Prospect chief...

Amongst Leicestershire County Council's job listings for care assistants (£11,000 pa), learning assistants (£13,000 pa), and a maths technician (£14,000 pa) is an ad for a new communications director. Expect plenty of applicants because the salary...

On Sunday Lord Mayor Colin Hall used his Twitter account to warn the Mercury to expect a "fiery week". If I was Coun Hall, I'd put a lottery ticket on this weekend, because he clearly has the power to see into the future: On Monday his attack post...

One of my contacts tipped me off yesterday about a development in the pants-down controversy of Lord Mayor Colin Hall. A brief text said simply: "The Lord Mayor ignored advice from civic staff to wear belt. They had even bought him one." I...