Among the things I picked up (it was mostly all books by the time I put in an appearance) was a 1985 school Textbook called “Social Issues” (only ref I can find to it is here) where this pretty neat model of unemployment grabbed my eye – click to enlarge.

Just as true today if not more so as maqnufacting output has shrunk since those days with our reliance on financial and other services getting unhealthy. The unemployment claimant cost also is a burden on the state. All proof that the Tories plan A is manfestly not working, not only have jobless figures got worse in their 18 months in office but growth is now in negative figures and we risk the awful spectre of a double-dip recession if their course of action (cutting too far, too soon) is not amended soon.

Well worth a look as is the museum at large which includes stuff on the migration histories  Irish and Italian communities of Islington, the borough’s gay history (Chris Smith, Orton et al) and ex-resident Tony Blair. More details here.

Yes 140 characters sure is not the same thing as a 90,000 word long PhD thesis but that hasn’t stopped Twitter becoming newsworthy in the last couple of days. As you’ll know by now two of Labour’s big guns have been caught out in the Twitterspshere and the medium has truly become the message. Diane Abbot claimed the limiting nature of the word-limit as her defence after her colonialism-inspired “divide and rule” comment became front page stuff on a slow news day. Now the Murdoch Sun has avenged itself for its harrying at the hands of Ed Miliband this Summer by putting a mispelling by the Labour leader on its front page – a Twitter event also ripped into by the Telegraph.

Surely Twitter is off-the-cuff heat-of-the moment stuff. The level of analysis does not merit it being front page news. Anyway serious events seem to have been overshadowed by these trifles. To clarify:

(a) It is entirely the case that so-called community leaders often have dubious claims on representativeness

(b) Divide and rule is an old tactic of any all-powerful group (It was said in the 80s French Socialist Miterrand allowed the Front National to rise so the political right would be split)

(c) Very sad news that LBC newscaster turning iconic tv quizmaster Bob Holness has passed away at 83. A generation will remember sixth formers cheekily asking “can I have an E please Bob?” to the great man on his signature show “Blockbusters”.

Finally one point worth making about this Twitter malarkey is that at least it seems both Ed and Diane send their own Tweets. Many an MP doesn’t, instead getting some lowly bum-wiper to do it for them.

Most interesting though was the chinwag with Bashir at the start (when I was waiting for co-diners to turn up who all emerged a little late ie Bengali time. )He told me that times are hard for Indian restaurateurs at present. Food prices have risen by 40%, the coalition have hiked up VAT to a record whopping 20% something something inbuilt prevents the British from forking out more than a tenner for a meal whereas less-filling Italian grub for example is seen as higher value food that people will pay more for. Bashir admitted that the old immigration rules could be open to manipulation but that his staffing had been affected by the crackdown on curry chefs entering the UK. Later in the evening there was a bit of an anti-benefits and handouts sentiment round the table with one opinion voiced that Nick Griffin might have liked. It was claimed that Muslims claim such things as the concept of zakat – charitable giving to those less fortunate – is inbuilt into the religion meaning that the “less fortunate” will always be there. Can’t say I neccessarily agree but stimulating debate nonetheless.

Let’s hope the New Year brings better cheer to the Indian restaurant trade and to the high street/ small business generally. Talking  of which this blog would like to say to all its readers… have a good one.

Paul explains of this unassuming inter-war brick-built dwelling:

More interesting than your average suburban tale of net-curtain twitching I guess…

Well done Seema. The local girl done good. As for the comment late last night to this blog urging a vote for the BNP:

(i) It was after polls closed

(ii) They were humiliated into losing their deposit,

although they did marginally better than the “Bus Pass Elvis” candidate which finished bottom of the poll. Full results are here. An interview with the honourable lady is here.

I suppose at least (i) It’s non gender specific (ii) with no named person no-one can accuse it of being fixed as was the case in 1996 when the BBC Today Programme “Man of the Year” poll was suspended amid allegations of vote-rigging for one Tony Blair.

The cheek of it. It’s their Tory bedfellows at national level who are pushing ahead with the cuts and then trying to shoulder the blame to local government who are tasked with implementing it all. For the record by the way in Labour controlled Ealing not a single library is to close. However in a slightly sinister move volunteers are being sought to run certain branches a la “Big Society”,

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2011 has been quite a year. Dramatic happenings have occurred in the our national economy, the broader European project and the streets of some of our cities, not to mention the nailbiting twists and turns at the good ship Tribune and the light shed on journalism at large by the Leveson enquiry. As the festive season sets in, in addition to peace on earth and goodwill to all men, a by-election beckons. By this time next week if all goes well we should have a new Labour MP in the shape of Seema Malhotra sitting for Feltham and Heston. The electoral test of this suburban London seat is a key one: its residents for whom Heathrow Airport looms large quite literally embody the epithet of the squeezed middle.

This column has then decided then to choose Christmas presents for public figures in the spirit of the season. Following my instinct of choosing music for all in keeping with my main academic research topic of the sociology of pop here goes:

For David Starkey

Anything by the Rolling Stones or Amy Winehouse or Rick Astley. As Keith Richards has remarked in his recent autobiography “Life” all the Stones really did was to put a white face on black music, ditto Rick Astley who when he first appeared in the 80s was thought to be black due to his voice before his publicity shots were issued. Winehouse too who died tragically young this Summer too could pull this feat off. Starkey clumsily claimed on BBC Newsnight “the white have become blacks” in explaining the criminality of the August “riots” whereas he should have lectured us on the positively enriching  contribution black culture has had to society and the arts. However given what a turkey Starkey proved to be with his idiotic remarks perhaps that dud act Vanilla Ice might be more suitable – did he record enough to make a greatest hits though?

For Nick Clegg

The Jungle Book soundtrack by Various Artists. Chosen because it includes “I Wanna Be Like You” (sung by the bear Baloo) which surely applies to the way the Deputy Prime minister feels about David Cameron. In a Yo Blair/ Mrs Duffygate moment following a recent Q and A the pair gave in Birmingham Cleggover was inadvertently recorded saying that come the next General Election the leaders debates would be obsolete as the two would have nothing to disagree with, except little Cleggy is always fawning at Dave’s feet, the latter would ditch the former in a trice if he could.

For David Cameron

The Queen is Dead album by the Smiths. Picked as it includes “Panic” the dystopian vision of which is surely appropriate for the financial turmoil that the Tories boneheadedly dogmatic economic strategy has thrown us into.  The song goes on the name exactly that this state of affairs has spread to: London, Birmingham, Leeds, “provincial towns” etc.

For Ed Miliband

A good Nursery Rhymes compilation CD, widely available. Could come in handy at bedtime as he has two little ‘uns who hopefully will be prevented from depriving our leader of too much sleep if they have something suitably soporific to nod off to.

For George Osborne

The Defamation of Strickland Banks by Plan B – because let’s face it, on current perpetually downgraded growth forecasts George needs to get familiar with this concept and have one of these up his sleeve seeing as Plan A so far looks to be an epic fail.

For Seema Malhotra

I Wanna Be Elected by Mott the Hoople (or its Bruce Dickinson cover version issued during the 1992 General Election).

For all of our sakes we Labour-supporting folk need to make sure Seema gets in. Cameron is looking for a Boris bounce and Vince Cable has been showing an unhealthy interest in helping Lib Dems across the border in Hounslow borough as a chunk of the present Feltham and Heston constituency will get subsumed into his Twickenham seat. If anyone wants to come and join in the fun the campaign centre email felthamandheston@labour.org.uk or call the volunteer hotline on 07872 417252