Longest British military campaign in history ends...

The massive progress towards normality in Northern Ireland means the longest campaign in British military history officially ends tonight.

As the Army operation ends after 38 years, Sir Hugh Orde police chief of the Province, says soldiers have not been needed on the streets for many months and he is confident police can cope long-term without Army back-up.

So for the first time in almost four decades, troops are not needed to provide security in Northern Ireland. From tonight, there will be a maximum 5,000 troops garrisoned there - but not for use in the Province. Instead, they will be on the same basis as troops everywhere else in the UK.

It's a far cry from the height of The Troubles when 30,000 British troops were based in Northern Ireland.

Since the troops were first deployed in 1969 - as a temporary measure to protect the Catholic community - more than 300,000 have served in Northern Ireland (one of them being my brother!).

Seven hundred and sixty three of the 300,000 were killed and over 6,000 maimed by paramilitaries in year after year of sectarian bloodshed and bombings which many thought would never end...

Thank goodness it has.

Put the flags out to celebrate Britain...

I was away on holiday and totally missed the welcome news from our new Prime Minister Gordon Brown that he has scrapped the stupid ban which prevented public buildings flying our national flag except on a limited number of specific days a year.

I’m delighted that our union flag can now fly over public buildings 365 days a year, not just on 18.

Our union flag belongs to everyone who believes in our country – not just the raving right-wing lunatics who have, over the years, attempted to steal it.

Hat-tip to Michael for highlighting the good news...

Falling crime across Lincolnshire welcomed...

Lincs Free Press report on latest crime figures.

Lincs MP and Lord Saatchi join attack on Cameron...

Outspoken Lincolnshire MP Edward Leigh has urged David Cameron to go back to traditional Tory mantras on immigration, low taxes and Europe.

His words of advice come on the same day as the man who master-minded Margaret Thatcher's successful advertising campaign criticises Cameron for "nicey-nicey" policies which won't won the next general election. Lord Saatchi says Cameron's Conservatives lack "an expression of true Conservative ideology".

Rats in a sack...

Guess who's blaming each other for Gordon Brown's surge in the polls and the string of political and public-relations disasters that have led to David Cameron's nosedive...?

Chas Kennedy deflates LibDem byelection spin with sober truth...

In the aftermath of Labour's win in the Ealing Southall by-election, much of the media swallowed bizarre LibDem claims that they were the real winners and that the result showed Labour was fast losing ground.

The BBC duly reported LibDem Ming Campbell saying the Ealing Southall result was blow for Brown.

The BBC also broadcast, as if it were a fact, that Ming Campbell was the main beneficiary in Ealing Southall.

ITV reported the result as good news for Ming and the Indy headlined on a night of LibDem cheer.

The truth was that for the first time since 1989, the LibDems had failed to take a by-election from second place.

But the day after the result, LibDem spin went into overdrive: at least one national TV crew ignored celebrations by the real winner and instead followed LibDem activists parading through the streets of Southall celebrating puncturing the Brown bounce.

The LibDems have carred on their charade ever since: Ming's claim of a blow for Brown still appears on the LibDem website

But on BBC's The World this Weekend today, asked to assess Gordon Brown's first month as Prime Minister, Charles Kennedy finally admitted the sober truth.

He said Labour's two by election victories - particularly Ealing Southall - were a good boost for Brown

Chas clearly hasn't read the script. Praps he meant to say blow...

Cameron fails to reach key Midlands and North voters, says senior Tory...

David Cameron fails to impress voters in key areas of the Midlands and the North where the next general election will be decided...Who says so? Er, the Tory MP who quit Cameron's front bench over the self-inflicted Grammar Wars saga.

In an interview with the BBC's World this Weekend Graham Brady MP adds to the Tory Leader's current crisis by saying David Cameron's appeal is limited to urban liberal circles around London.

I presume Mr Brady is not including urban liberal circles in the London Borough of Ealing where Cameron was humiliated last week when his hand-picked candidate managed only third place in the Ealing Southall by-election after standing for David Cameron's Conservative Party.

UPDATE: Meanwhile, today's Sunday Telegraph reports that David Davis, Cameron's rival for the Conservative Party leadership - has made what it calls an impassioned plea to Tories to rally behind David Cameron.

The Telegraph says Davis's intervention came:

after Mr Cameron's most difficult week as Tory Leader and amid barely disguised panic over a nine-point Labour lead.

The Torygraph says the Tories have been in disarray since coming third in the Ealing Southall by election and a badly timed trip to Rwanda while flood ravaged parts of Britain - including his own constituency.

Passions running high over traveller site plans, says ET...

Haven't had a chance to sit down and say what I want to say on last night's meeting which I posted on briefly HERE.

But here's a photo and report from the meeting as seen by the Peterborough Evening Telegraph.

Muslims to the rescue...

Mosques across Leicester yesterday raised more than £5,000 after Friday prayers to help send 20,000 bottles of drinking water to flood victims in Gloucestershire.

Story in tonight's Leicester Mercury

Lincs gets grants to help flood youngsters...

Lincolnshire children affected by last month's floods are to benefit from a Government grant of more than £200,000 to the county according to BBC Radio Lincolnshire.

The cash is Lincolnshire's share of the Government's £10 million aid package and will support summer activities for youngsters housed in temporary accommodation during the school holidays.

The money will also help fund family support workers.

2,000 residents say 'No way' to travellers and gypsies in The Deepings...

At least 2,000 local residents turned out to the public meeting tonight to send a strong message against South Kesteven District Council's plans for a travellers and gypsy site in The Deepings which I posted on HERE.

Officers from Grantham-based SKDC bravely presented their plans which include five possible sites in Market Deeping, and attempted to answer a host of hostile questions.

The sports hall at Deepings Leisure Centre was filled to its 400 capacity half an hour before the meeting was due to start - it's always difficult to estimate the size of a crowd, but I reckon there were at least four times as many people standing outside as there were inside.

Unfortunately, a plasma screen due to relay the presentation was damaged during the set-up, so those outside (including yours truly) had to make do with listening to the meeting via speakers.

However, John Hayes MP, who chaired the meeting, frequently came outside to pass the microphone around to hear as many views as possible.

I managed to make a few comments as parish and county councillor for Deeping St James. I told SKDC that they had made a complete hash of the 'consultation' to date, and have no faith that it will result in fair and rational decisions.

Remember, this is the same Council who made a dog's breakfast with their failed £650,000 glossy campaign (funded by council taxpayers) to sell-off their entire stock of council houses.

That was only a few months ago. Now the traveller/gyspy site farce.

SKDC is consulting on 19 potential traveller gypsy sites in Grantham, Bourne, Stamford and Market Deeping, when only one site may - or not - be needed to serve the entire district.

It's late now, so I'll try to post a fuller report on the meeting tomorrow...

Cameron unleashes his attack dogs: bowsy wowsy...!

David Cameron has set his 'top attack dogs' on the Prime Minister in a desperate attempt to end the Brown Bounce according to the Tory's favourite paper, the Daily Mail.

And who are Cameron's secret weapons? Step foward wee Georgie (his mum thinks he's in cubs) Osbourne and Chris Grayling.

Grayling's disastrous performance on Newsnight last night appears to have been the first salvo in Cameron's all-out war.

Today's Mail says unleashing Osbourne and Grayling is Cameron's response to steady the Tory ship after his spectacular own-goals such as Grammar Wars, two humiliating third places in by-elections, and criticism from within his own ranks for flying off to Rwanda for a photo-call while his Witney constituency suffered floods.

Truth is wee Georgie and Chris G are more like poodles than rotweillers: Sure as eggs is eggs, Gordon will eat them both for breakfast.

* Meanwhile, the YouGov poll in today's Torygraph says Labour has opened a nine point lead since Gordon Brown became PM, surging ahead to 41%, with Cameron's Conservatives are down to 32%.

There's only one poll that counts of course - and there's a long way to the next General Election.

Travellers and Gypsy sites: nothing suitable in The Deepings...

I’m planning to be at tonight’s public meeting over the white-hot issue of possible traveller and gypsy sites in The Deepings.

I seconded a motion by Councillor Andy Pelling at last night’s meeting of Deeping St James Parish Council, to the effect that:

After initial consideration of the stated requirements for a traveller and gypsy sites, DSJ Parish Council believes that there are no such suitable locations in The Deepings.

Councillor Ray Auger, a member of the Conservative Cabinet at SKDC, suggested it was unreasonable for the Parish Council to come to a view before the consultation period begins. He was one of three parish councillors to abstain.

In the end, no-one voted against and the motion was passed.

While we need to listen to all the arguments put forward in South Kesteven District Council’s yet-to-begin consultation, I believe it is important that DSJ Parish Council provides leadership in big issues which affect our community.

We will fully debate the issue at our August meeting before making detailed representation to SKDC who will make the final decision in the autumn on identifying gypsy and traveller sites across the entire district.

Councillor Kate Shinkins will represent DSJ Parish Council at tonight's public meeting which starts at 7.30 at Deepings Leisure Centre here in Deeping St James.

There’ll be a presentation on SKDC’s proposals by Mark Harrison, Planning Policy Manager. The meeting has been organised by MP John Hayes.

Are the wheels coming off Cameron's bike...UPDATED

As David Cameron's honeymoon as Tory Leader ends in splits and division, Prime Minister Gordon Brown's seems to be just starting...and sending Labour MPs off on their summer hols with a welcome spring in their step...

We're a long way and many events from a General Election of course.

But as Gordon said at Prime Minister's Questions yesterday, it's a good job Dave has a car following him when he cycles to Parliament - to pick up the bits that have started falling off!

UPDATE: More bad news for Dave and another boost for Gordon:

The Torygraph reports a YouGov for C4 poll which shows more than half of voters do not believe the Tory leader is in control of his own party.

Just 22 per cent of those questioned thought David Cameron was in control of the Tories, compared to 52 per cent who said he was not.

The Torygraph reports:

In stark contrast, Gordon Brown was viewed by 62 per cent of voters as being in control of the Labour Party, while just 16 per cent said he was not.

The same poll confirms that voters believe the Conservative Party itself is well to the right of Cameron.

Meanwhile Chris Grayling from Cameron's frontbench team has just been on Newsnight to try to calm things down. He admitted it hadn't been a good month for the Tories -and interestingly pointed to the self-inflicted Grammar Wars which started the bad run of luck.

Grayling bizarely compared the Brown-bounce with the last time there was a change of Prime Minister mid-term:

He pointed out that the Tories were well behind in the polls when Margaret Thatcher was ousted and that John Major enjoyed a similar bounce to Brown when he entered 10 Downing Street.

Grayling says the Major bounce only lasted four or five months before the polls settled down and the Opposition (Labour) were back in front...

What he didn't say, of course, was that a couple of years later, new Prime Minister John Major went on to win the 1992 General Election, despite the fact that Labour were well ahead in the polls.

Keep 'em coming Mr Grayling!

Missing Madeleine: McCann's local paper bans 'spiteful' campaign...

Thursday's Times reports that the McCann's local newspaper has banned spiteful and defamatory comments about Madeleine's parents.

Nick Carter, Editor of the highly respected Leicester Mercury, writing in his own paper, says:

A tiny minority of people seem to want to say nasty, spiteful and defamatory things about the McCann family.

They are bombarding our site, and we had no choice but to block comment entirely on reports about the family.

After the deluge of comments dumped on my blog over the past few days after I commented on Madeleine's abduction, I have every sympathy with Mr Carter...