That’s the first time I’ve agreed with Sion Simon for more than three sentences at once !

Other little titbit picked up from TiP this week: Bob Russell didn’t know why COBRA was called COBRA. I thought that was one of the best-known political trivia/pub-quiz questions around.

Will’s reply from the MP is fascinating, because it appears to be a massive shift from what was said before. Proof of bloggers holding an MP to account?

‘I have no doubt there is an important role for hyperlocal sites to play scrutinising local decision making – in my area we have the People’s Republic of South Devon and the satirical Westphalia on Sea websites – but I would see this as complimentary to a local newspaper, not as its replacement. A plural system is always preferable to a monopoly whether on-line or dead-tree.’

No, obviously not. But when an MP is claiming websites don’t hold power to account, I thought it was interesting that no commercial media outlet reported anything that the MPs said. The concept of what is newsworthy, for me, is broadened by the inclusion of other outlets such as blogs. That’s not to say Michael Grade isn’t newsworthy, and certainly he’s a bigger story than the MP’s comments, but that there is now space for that other material that wouldn’t have made it into print in a mass market, commercial world.