Xtra Diary - On Olympic parade - GB Volleyball team

Published: 17 September 2010

On Olympic parade Volleyball GB team

THE Queen didn’t pop down for a game, but that didn’t stop Great Britain’s beach volleyball team having a good time in the royal surroundings of St James’s Park. 

The sand had to be imported (we’re not sure what Prince Charles would say about such things) and the lawmakers appeased (police recently banned ball games in the park), but if you want to play beach volleyball in the middle of London you have to bend the rules. 

The stunt was in aid of publicising the Olympic beach volleyball competition which is due to be held in Horse Guards Parade, subject to planning permission. 

Diary hopes the notoriously unsporting Thorney Island Society don’t get wind of this. We can smell a planning row.

Mark Field blogs his views on boundaries of reform

PARLIAMENT is only a few days back and Mark Field is already grumbling.

The Cities of London and Westminster MP seems to have taken a pop at our dear leader over the charge for electoral reform. 

As the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill eases its way through Parliament and the alternative vote system (AV) looks all the more likely, it seems some Tories are worried. 

Field launched a withering attack on it on the Conservative home blog, arguing along the “if it ain’t broke don’t  fix it” line and coming close to charging party strategists with gerrymandering.

He wrote: “It should never be the Conservative way to tamper with the voting system or electoral boundaries for narrow political advantage. 

“The timelessness of our nation’s constitutional arrangements is too important for that. 

“Yet the current proposals for AV and the reduction in [the] number of parliamentary constituencies are being promoted by party managers as an expedient way to prevent our principal political opponents from recapturing office.” 

A traditionalist and defender of the realm it seems.

But we think there might be another motivation. He’s worried that plans to make a minimum size for each seat put him under threat from what he sees as the barbarians at the gate, the Labour Party. 

He could be right.

Campbell hands Maradona a compliment

DIARY was on the wrong side of a hiding by the local Labour Party this week, who had among their star players Alastair Campbell.
But the former spin doctor will have a job getting out of this one. 

Following their lucky 10-4 victory on Tuesday night, Mr Campbell admitted one of his goals may have been helped in with his hand.

Crowing on his blog following the game he wrote: “I was baited into it on Twitter by journalists from the CNJ [our sister paper] who claimed I was only interested in turning out with Diego Maradona and the like at Old Trafford. 

“Duly stung, I turned out in the rain, took along my son Rory, and between us we scored well over half of the goals we hammered past the hapless hacks.”  

He added: “Now that the game is over I can confirm that one of my goals may have touched my hand rather than my head as I lofted it over the keeper. You see, that time spent with Diego wasn’t wasted.” 

Also due a mention was London Assembly Member, and regular on these pages, Murad Qureshi who, we must admit, did a stellar job at left back. 

More than £1,000 was raised for the Pakistan flood relief appeal.

Beyond the art class

THE hidden gem of Edgware Road, the Subway Gallery, is playing host to a rather unusual exhibition by a group of homeless artists. 

Following the phenomenal success of their first show, the Subway is the fitting venue for Seymour Art. 

The collective was established at the West London Day Centre and their work has an organic quality, that you won’t learn in any art class. 

ArtMine is at the Subway Gallery, Kiosk 1, Joe Strummer Subway, Edgware Road until September 25.