News of the latest marriage came, alas, rather late to George's Bradford West team
• A breathlessly busy week for Diary favourite George Galloway, who, as you doubtless now know, celebrated bringing liberation to the people of Bradford West at last Thursday's byelection by dashing off to Amsterdam to get married again (wives being one of the few things GG collects even more assiduously than constituencies). Alas, however, Galloway's hectic schedule did not quite allow him to inform his loyal Bradford campaign team of the happy news. Thus one volunteer was mortified to read the papers on Tuesday and realise that the woman she had met on Galloway's battle bus two days earlier was not, in fact, the third Mrs Galloway Rima Husseini, with whom the MP has two young children, but the newly minted fourth, Putri Gayatri Pertiwi. Knowing that the MP and Husseini had recently had a second child (son Faris was born in December), the campaigner had asked Mrs Galloway where the children were. "Er ... in London," came the embarrassed reply from the woman who had held the title for less than 24 hours.
• Excellent, meanwhile, to see Tottenham's Jobcentre Plus, inconveniently torched during last August's riots, being reopened this week by the employment minister Chris Grayling (we'll quickly pass over the fact that while locals spotted a frenzied street-cleaning effort before a recent visit by communities minister Eric Pickles to tidy the streets, they didn't bother for Grayling). James Snelling, the centre manager, told the local Haringey Independent he was "really thrilled" to see it reopening. "I think what we have today is a real opportunity to show people how many opportunities there are out there." We can help with that. The official labour market statistics for February 2012, the most recent available, list 330 unfilled Jobcentre vacancies in Tottenham. Oh, and 6,685 people looking for work.
• Hear that low moaning sound coming from the direction of Canary Wharf? That is the mournful song of Aeolus, a huge musical sculpture installed last week in Canada Square park. The high-pitched wailing accompanying it, meanwhile, is the mournful song of sculptor Luke Jerram, who created the artwork – several tonnes of steel tubes designed to interact with the breeze. Following admired outings at Lyme Park and the Eden Project, Jerram was persuaded by a US company to instal the sculpture at Docklands so that its execs could fly in to discuss buying the work. No sooner was it in place, however, than he got another call saying the firm had decided on another piece instead. If no buyer can be found Jerram may be forced to sell it for scrap. "Compact designer Docklands property," he says dismally, "no kitchen or bathroom facilities."
• Is this the most party appropriate contraption ever? Lib Dem MP Julian Huppert, visiting an event promoting all-ability cycling, tweets a pic of himself pedalling a cycle-powered smoothie maker. Wire it up to a knitting machine, we suggest, and he could tick off even more muesli-munching liberal cliches. "I don't know many Lib Dems who knit," responds a mock-wounded Huppert, "and I've never seen another Lib Dem MP drinking a smoothie." Well, that has to change for a start. In fact, we have a plan for the Commons bars. Abolish the subsidised booze, and make 'em pedal for fruit juice.
• From the forthcoming issue of the Radio Times, for your delectation: David Blunkett recalls a banquet at which he was seated next to the Queen, and guests were served Barnsley chops. "Now I'm sure everyone understands the difficulty in getting the meat off the bone and the fat off the meat," writes Blunkett. "Clearly seeing that I was struggling, the Queen asked if she could help me, and I declined. She then asked me a second time, but again I declined and pressed on. On the third occasion, the Queen, no doubt somewhat exasperated with this man who clearly needed assistance but stubbornly refused to accept it, said, 'Mr Blunkett, there's no need for you to be embarrassed. I often cut the meat up for the corgis.' I'm not often rendered speechless, but I was on that occasion." Us too.
Twitter: @estheraddley