Well, my nomadic lifestyle has brought about yet another move and I have travelled east. Having finally conquered the local customs and arranged for a new abode I can now look out across the city and admire this wonderful sunset over the romantic towers and spires...

... of Strangeways Prison in Manchester. I can't actually open the window yet because the landlord hasn't quite managed to get me the key, but you can't have everything.

By the way, didn't Andy do well?

Good Luck, Andy Murray!!

Eric Sykes CBE died yesterday at the age of 89.

Sykes was one of Britain's comedy aristocrats who came to prominence on leaving the Army after the war. Part of the set that included the Goons, Galton & Simpson, Frankie Howerd and a whole host of comedy actors, he is indelibly associated in the public's mind with the great (in every sense) Hattie Jacques. Best knows as a TV actor he was also an actor, writer and director for stage, TV and radio. He was a founder member of the legendary Associated London Scripts.

A little over two weeks ago, the news media started to carry stories about NatWest customers having trouble accessing their accounts. The stories nearly all took the line that a “glitch” in the bank’s computer systems had led to some accounts not being updated correctly. Over the next couple of days it became apparent that the problem was widespread and continuing.

The media eventually realised that the problem was not confined to NatWest, but also RBS, Ulster Bank and several others. It became apparent that the problem centred on the RBS clearing system, which is housed in Edinburgh.

The news reports mostly changed the name of the bank involved, partly because it allowed them to keep whipping RBS; since Fred the Shred’s day the bank has become a hate figure for the media.

However, they all continued to call the fault a “glitch”. In the IT industry this wasn’t being referred to as a glitch. A glitch is an annoyance – this was a full-scale, industrial-strength, grade A disaster.

This is a long post – grab a coffee.

Sorry for the rather obvious headline to this post, but I'm just getting back into the swing of things after a lay-off and the inspired prose is slightly, errr, sticky just now.

Anyway you will have noticed the major news event that was the launch of the campaign to keep Scotland in the UK (AKA "Better Together" or, more accurately, "No"). What, you missed it? Oh noes!! Well, just for your benefit those lovers of democracy at the Grauniad have captured a typically highly detailed and objective report of this star-studded jamboree here. Even more impressively they have recorded verbatim the main item of the event - a speech by the Right Honourable Alistair Darling MP: a failed Chancellor of the Exchequer from a failed UK Government.

It's rubbish. What follows is the text of his speech (in black) and  a few pithy comments from a talented political commentator (in green). Links are from the Graun article.