Useless and loving it?

Imminent retirement seems to have made Lib Dem MP Phil Willis demob happy. The chairman of the former innovation, universities and skills select committee was in fine form at a Westminster conference on funding college building.

He threw out one-liners in a breezy summary of the crisis - “when ministers admit making mistakes, you know things are really horrendous” - which would have been funny if it were not a depressing catastrophe still wreaking havoc with the education of thousands.

But one wonders if his party colleagues appreciated his lumping them in with Labour and the Tories for misguided policies that protect a few favoured areas from cuts while leaving everything else high and dry.

He said: “All the political parties are making the same mistake, thinking, `What are we going to protect?’ The first thing that comes out is schools, then it’s the health service, then it’s the police. They need to think holistically.”

It’s a change from the usual political message, but it’s doubtful “we’re all the same, and useless” will catch on as a slogan among those seeking re-election.

Bad start to the weekly

Londoners amused themselves this week with the launch of The London Weekly, a free newspaper that debuted with a rash of typos and daringly low standards for content.

FErret is intrigued by its links to Invincible Media, which operates out of the same address in Hackney and is run by Jordan Kensington, apparently a former South Thames College student.

His website makes some grand claims about the success of his little-known magazines, radio and TV stations, and the firm has a school and a college in Cameroon.

One can only admire his energy and commitment, although he also claims the education arm brought in pound;9.8 million of profit.

It is to be hoped his teachers are better at grammar than the London Weekly journalists, who appealed to readers: “Got any news story?”