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Richard McComb: Birmingham, the spiritual home of Valentine's Day

Birmingham Post — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:23:00 GMT

Being Valentine-averse, imagine my distress when a colleague flagged up that the mortal remains of the saint responsible for this annual taste debacle reside just a few miles from my own front door.

Neil Elkes: Councillors making a song and dance about musical heritage

Birmingham Post — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:11:00 GMT

There is nothing politicians seem to enjoy more than a little brush with glamour, the sprinkle of celebrity and to get a little closer to the business we call show. Some of our city councillors would no doubt be angered at the mere suggestion that they are frustrated entertainers.

Sarah Evans: Training and mentoring - not bullying

Birmingham Post — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The change in how the teaching profession deals with formal training has had little airing.

Jonathan Walker: Where is Birmingham's Phil Redmond?

Birmingham Post — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Liverpool is racing ahead with its plan to introduce a powerful city mayor.

Richard McComb: A Dickens of a confession

Birmingham Post — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Until my (very) late 30s, I hadn’t read a single novel by Charles Dickens. Not one

Neil Elkes: Labour Party returns to internal battles

Birmingham Post — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:00:00 GMT

After years in the political wilderness in Birmingham the Labour Party is preparing for a return to power in the Council House by turning on itself in spectacular fashion.

Jonathan Walker: Whisper it, but Labour is tougher on benefits

Birmingham Post — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:56:00 GMT

While the Conservative and Labour front benches argue about capping benefits, Labour backbenchers are proving they can be just as tough as any Tory.

Sir Peter Soulsby: Elected mayors are a figurehead for a city's shared hopes, and I should know

Birmingham Post — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

Just 12 months ago Leicester stood where Birmingham is now standing – on the cusp of the most significant constitutional change the city had seen in generations.

Chris Upton: The appeal of a requiem never dies

Birmingham Post — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:00:00 GMT

It’s that time of year when I take my pop CDs out of the car and replace them with a little choral music.

Sarah Evans: Human touch overlooked in school league tables

Birmingham Post — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:20:00 GMT

The government’s education performance tables were published last week for the previous academic year. The fact it is six months after that year finished is an indication of the Byzantine edifice that is the current league table model.

Nature Watch: How to create your own nature reserve

Birmingham Post — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:00:00 GMT

This country has more gardens, covering a greater proportion of the land than almost anywhere else. If an Englishman’s home is his castle, his garden is his estate. Between us we have 19 million gardens, which together occupy more space than all of our nature reserves put together.

Richard McComb: Setting the happiness bar too high - just be content

Birmingham Post — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:32:00 GMT

Due to innovative timetable management by Birmingham’s education service, the inaugural half-term break of 2012 will take place a few days after the Christmas decorations were stashed away.

Neil Elkes: Council not in the market for decisions anymore

Birmingham Post — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:20:00 GMT

There seems to be an end of term feeling creeping in amongst the city council’s leading lights as the Tory-Lib Dem administration enters what is widely expected to be the final few weeks of its eight-year reign over the UK’s largest local authority.

Jonathan Walker: Labour dare not oppose the welfare reforms

Birmingham Post — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:08:00 GMT

Conservative MPs queued up during Prime Minister’s Questions to proclaim their support for a cap on benefits.

Sarah Evans: Oxbridge tells us little about social mobility

Birmingham Post — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

Young people must have been delighted at the publicity given to a girl who decided to imitate a rejection letter from Oxford University, by writing her own, turning them down.

Chris Upton: You may call it 'man flu' - but I for one will battle on

Birmingham Post — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:00:00 GMT

For the past week I’ve been suffering with the dreaded “man flu”.

Richard McComb: Time for men to reclaim the hairy body look

Birmingham Post — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:35:00 GMT

Does anyone fancy a spot of naked wrestling in front of a roaring fire?

Jonathan Walker: Ed Miliband's leadership credentials put to the test

Birmingham Post — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:25:00 GMT

Conservative and Lib Dem activists are having a great deal of fun on Twitter and various websites with a campaign to save Ed Miliband.

Neil Elkes: An unholy political row as the Bishop of Birmingham comes under fire

Birmingham Post — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:09:00 GMT

Religion and politics “don’t mix” was the launchpad statement for a breathtaking attack on the Bishop of Birmingham this week.

Chris Upton: A worn out soul on the way to the shoe shop

Birmingham Post — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:01:00 GMT

I have limited mental capacity for shopping. I know myself well enough to realise that I have to be coaxed into shopping between cups of coffee, or simply avoided altogether.