Observation of the month: Elvis Costello's remark that you normally know you're getting older when police officers look younger than yourself. In his case, however, it was when Tory Chancellor George Osborne reminded him of Noddy ("and not in a good way"). His comments prefaced a blistering performance of Tramp The Dirt Down during his superb gig at the Empire a couple of weeks ago (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1emSMioJsg ).
Family paper, the Oldham Echo, isn't it? Yep, you can rely upon those who remain at Oldham Hall Street to cover stories in a manner which isn't sensationalist, crass or tasteless. Right? Er, well actually, no. Jeremy Vine, no less, has been prominent in the Twittersphere today, expressing his dismay at the front page of the paper that always likes to claim it speaks for Merseyside:https://twitter.com/theJeremyVine/status/206431182345355264/photo/1 .
Vine isn't alone in deploring this wretched layout & deplorable juxtaposition.
With its circulation figures in long term decline, the Oldham Echo is demonstrating why its days as a mass circulation daily in the city are a matter of nostalgia rather than present-day reality.
