http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/ Visit Iron Angle for comment on Birmingham CC and general politics news. Our public affairs editor Paul Dale reflects on a week in local and national politics. en-gb Birmingham Post http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/07/26/civic-society-in-a-muddle-over-colmore-row-65233-21406561/ Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:55:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/07/26/civic-society-in-a-muddle-over-colmore-row-65233-21406561/ Another embarrassing crisis has rocked the hallowed portals of the Birmingham Civic Society. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/07/19/council-stuck-in-the-bus-lane-when-it-comes-to-decisions-65233-21378564/ Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:41:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/07/19/council-stuck-in-the-bus-lane-when-it-comes-to-decisions-65233-21378564/ It is four years since transportation cabinet member Len Gregory decided to suspend “temporarily” the A38 Tyburn Road bus lanes. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/07/11/birmingham-labour-s-talent-for-talking-rubbish-65233-21327249/ Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:47:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/07/11/birmingham-labour-s-talent-for-talking-rubbish-65233-21327249/ Unfortunately, I could not attend last week’s Birmingham City Council meeting. Well, you can only have so much of a good thing. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/07/05/council-warns-staff-to-steer-clear-of-the-cannibalism-website-65233-21303699/ Sat, 05 Jul 2008 09:37:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/07/05/council-warns-staff-to-steer-clear-of-the-cannibalism-website-65233-21303699/ Jobsworths at Birmingham City Council have compiled a fascinating list of websites that local authority staff are banned from using while at work. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/06/28/summerfield-spotlight-alerts-whitby-s-wrath-65233-21303501/ Sat, 28 Jun 2008 09:05:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/06/28/summerfield-spotlight-alerts-whitby-s-wrath-65233-21303501/ Neville Summerfield, the Birmingham cabinet member for regeneration-lite, has suffered another humiliating put-down at the hands of city council leader Mike Whitby. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/06/21/john-lines-avoids-cairns-like-censure-over-scumbag-comment-65233-21303474/ Sat, 21 Jun 2008 08:59:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/06/21/john-lines-avoids-cairns-like-censure-over-scumbag-comment-65233-21303474/ While most Conservatives never forgave Theresa May for describing Tories as the nasty party and still fewer understood why she believed that to be the case, her comments forced a change in attitude among the image-conscious backers of David Cameron. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/06/13/labour-risk-losing-ladywood-to-ayoub-khan-65233-21303424/ Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:56:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/06/13/labour-risk-losing-ladywood-to-ayoub-khan-65233-21303424/ Labour, having split its own ranks with a spectacularly botched selection of a candidate to replace Clare Short MP in Ladywood at the next General Election, is quickly waking up to the fact that this once rock-solid seat could be lost to, of all people, the Liberal Democrats. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/06/07/the-wait-for-that-lib-dem-inquiry-goes-on-65233-21036688/ Sat, 07 Jun 2008 17:39:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/06/07/the-wait-for-that-lib-dem-inquiry-goes-on-65233-21036688/ More than two months have passed since Elections Commissioner Timothy Straker QC criticised the character and motives of Birmingham Lib Dem cabinet member Ayoub Khan and the party’s Aston council candidate Saeed Aehmed. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/05/25/too-much-information-keely-65233-20973484/ Sun, 25 May 2008 19:47:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/05/25/too-much-information-keely-65233-20973484/ I am fascinated to read the latest Facebook entry from Keely Huxtable, who is the prospective Conservative parliamentary candidate for Northfield. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/05/17/birmingham-labour-can-t-escape-the-threat-of-mutiny-65233-20929220/ Sat, 17 May 2008 19:01:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/05/17/birmingham-labour-can-t-escape-the-threat-of-mutiny-65233-20929220/ Birmingham Labour councillor Yvonne Mosquito has been deposed as vice-chairman of the West Midlands Police Authority. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/05/10/grundy-shows-her-credentials-for-leading-birmingham-labour-65233-20891543/ Sat, 10 May 2008 22:20:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/05/10/grundy-shows-her-credentials-for-leading-birmingham-labour-65233-20891543/ Don’t you just love it when politicians standing for high office say ’it’s nothing personal’? http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/05/04/school-s-out-for-the-next-generation-of-tories-65233-20862596/ Sun, 04 May 2008 22:44:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/05/04/school-s-out-for-the-next-generation-of-tories-65233-20862596/ It’s not just the policemen that are getting younger, Birmingham’s new generation of politicians are little more than teenagers. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/04/26/aston-election-campaign-gets-nastier-and-nastier-65233-20823511/ Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:03:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/04/26/aston-election-campaign-gets-nastier-and-nastier-65233-20823511/ With under a week to go to the city council elections Labour and the Liberal Democrats continue to hurl insults at each other in one of the grubbiest campaigns for years. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/04/19/hughes-stars-in-council-s-video-nasty-65233-20789404/ Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:45:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/04/19/hughes-stars-in-council-s-video-nasty-65233-20789404/ The latest attempt by Birmingham City Council to sell its pay and grading review to 5,000 employees whose wages are being cut smacks of utter desperation. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/04/12/legalese-excuse-for-red-route-debacle-65233-20755557/ Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:00:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/04/12/legalese-excuse-for-red-route-debacle-65233-20755557/ Airza Ahmad, Birmingham City Council's irrepressible Chief Legal Officer, has been in magisterial form on the matter of the Stratford Road red route. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/04/05/confusion-all-round-for-labour-in-kingstanding-65233-20722999/ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 23:02:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/04/05/confusion-all-round-for-labour-in-kingstanding-65233-20722999/ Grundygate - the will-she-won’t-she-stand saga surrounding Kingstanding Labour councillor Cath Grundy - continues to be a huge talking point for Birmingham’s politicos. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/03/29/biased-reporting-read-all-about-it-65233-20692278/ Sat, 29 Mar 2008 17:08:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/03/29/biased-reporting-read-all-about-it-65233-20692278/ A measure of desperation is creeping into the Liberal Democrat election campaign in Sparkbrook, where the party is distributing its own shock-horror tabloid newspaper http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/03/21/wake-up-call-for-the-city-planners-65233-20658245/ Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:21:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/03/21/wake-up-call-for-the-city-planners-65233-20658245/ The bizarre prosecution by the Standards Board of Birmingham councillors Martin Mullaney and Ernie Hendricks after they filmed the interior of a listed building said to be at risk of collapse put the planning department in a very bad light. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/03/16/brave-move-to-champion-a-red-route-65233-20632275/ Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:35:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/03/16/brave-move-to-champion-a-red-route-65233-20632275/ Bad news for Birmingham Liberal Democrat city councillor Jerry Evans, who will be seeking re-election in Springfield ward in May. http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/03/07/just-think-what-we-could-do-with-200m-65233-20580229/ Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:47:00 GMT http://www.birminghampost.net/comment/birmingham-columnists/iron-angle-birmingham-cc/2008/03/07/just-think-what-we-could-do-with-200m-65233-20580229/ Birmingham's biggest land sale for decades - disposal of the Wholesale Markets - could be finalised within weeks, netting the city council more than £200 million.