Diane Abbott writes…

“…why, in a pivotal moment, is Labour being asked to select a leader from the narrowest gene pool in its history? David Miliband, Ed Miliband and Ed Balls are brilliant and charming. And it is undoubtedly heart-warming for Mrs Miliband that two thirds of the candidates are her lads.”

For those once great enemies, the BBC and Alastair Campbell have certainly settled their differences, and what’s more the Beeb seem almost hysterical about the launch of the latest edition of his diaries. When was the last time a book was publicised on every channel and radio station both locally and nationally with the author allowed unfettered readings and plugging?

“My voice is starting to go a bit already, having done breakfast telly and then 19 local and regional radio interviews, all in the interests of publicising a book which, if my twitter friends are anything to go by, is not in all the right places yet and has already sold out on Amazon ….”

It’s ridiculous that he is able to so brazenly use publicly funded outlets for his own commercial and political gain.

As the sun shines, the scene of Dave’s first public date with his new love Nick will be the place to be this evening.  The PM is turning on the charm tonight in the Downing Street rose garden and throwing a soirée for the assorted CCHQ wonks, spinners and organisers that got him there. For many of them it will be their first and last trip into Number 10 before they are fired.

Despite the small hiccup of not quite getting there without a little yellow help, it has been noted over at Cowley Street that they are yet to get an invite for drinks and nibbles.  No one is quite sure whether the DPM will pop in and it seems there is a concerted effort to keep the party on the down low and relatively exclusive. When Guido phoned one former staffer-turned-lobbyist earlier to ask for details there was a marked silence before “Party? Tonight? …bastards.”

UPDATE: Some tuts and mutterings that they are all getting kicked out at 8.30.

After his little cock-up yesterday directing his followers to a Viagra shop, Guido has been thinking of ways he can help former MP and journo Siôn Simon. There was some talk of him running for Mayor of Birmingham but as that job doesn’t yet exist, perhaps he could follow the route of another has-been politico Bob Dole and actually start advertising for Pfizer:

Sadly the original TV advert doesn’t seem to be online anywhere,  but we all know Siôn has a video camera, why doesn’t he give it a go?

Harriet just had her newly elected husband Jack Dromey as a warm up act at the Unite conference in Liverpool. He wouldn’t be an MP if she hadn’t sold out on her All Woman Shortlist plans in his seat. Both heaped lavish praise on Tony Woodly and Derek Simpson, who had found time off from pushing BA under.

It seems Harman won’t be wasting these few months steering the ship to forward her feminist crusade, she used her speech this morning to decree that 50% of the Labour Shadow cabinet will be women regardless of talent. Unless of course her husband wants a job and then the rules can be bent once again presumably?

Though there have been false sightings and mix ups with a doppelgänger there was a flurry of activity last night when our old friend Damian McBride was spotted last night.  EyeSpy got him in the late night off licence while another drinker informs Guido that he was taking part in the pub quiz at The Dignity pub in Finchley. Guido is sure Damian didn’t choose the pub ironically for its name but more their well advertised Peronis. Well it is half-term, so he wasn’t drinking on a school night…

Newbie Tory MP Rory Stewart says…

“Across the aisle are these young Labour people. I’ve got a friend called Tristram Hunt, he was sitting next to a very glamorous looking person called Gloria De Piero, who’s a celebrity TV journalist. But when I talked to Luciana Berger and told her I was a Tory she didn’t seem so keen to talk to me. It felt like I’d turned up at a dance and was wearing the wrong kind of shoes.”

Australia based Kiwi satirist John Clarke explains the €uro Debt Crisis with some wit. The Aussies are laughing at us because they are literally sitting on thousands of tonnes of gold…

Via the Devil.