Had an interesting chat yesterday with a couple of colleagues about the Metro…

Do people read it in the morning because it’s convenient, i.e. their local train station does not sell other newspapers and the local newsagent is not on their way? Or is it a question of price, i.e. reading it instead of The Times everyday saves them £20 a month?

Decided it was a convenience thing first and foremost, and then price. Reckon most people read the Metro as it’s light entertainment first thing, and then rely on the internet when they get to work to get more factual, industry related news.

We then got onto news aggregators and discovered that many people have many different habits, e.g. iGoogle, NewsNow, Ananova, Press Gazette and Yahoo! News etc.

Also found a useful website detailing a list of web-based, desktop, email, mobile and browser extension aggregators: NewsOnFeeds.com.

I then spared a thought for the paper boy…

What’s he up to in this digital news age? Do people still get a paper delivered in the morning? Is he out of a job? Has he evolved? If so, how? And would people be interested in receiving news from an electronic paper boy?

A quick Google search curbed my excitment (ThePaperBoy.com), but, as always, am convinced I could do better…

Hooray for the Gurkhas! It is hard to think of a group of people who deserve to be in this country more.

It is just a shame that the Gurkha veterans – some on their death beds – have been dragged through an even longer legal battle than most of them probably experienced in their military tenure. All to establish the basic presumption that: “Those who fight for our country have a right to live in our country”.

And hats off to actress Joanna Lumley, whose father was an officer with the 6th Gurkha Rifles, for campaigning for justice for this long. You deserve equal plaudits and perhaps even a few letters after your name…

But what interested me most about yesterday’s media coverage was David Cameron’s share of voice.

Where did he come from? Where has he been throughout this campaign? A text book example of how to get media coverage by piggy-backing a news story. An established brand and a solid comment with a different angle will go far.

Whether he deserves to be in the same picture or even mentioned in the same breath as the Gurkhas, or Joanna Lumley, is a different matter. But job done – another shot fired at Gordon. Only time will tell whether it is just a flesh wound or another nail in the coffin…

Who really came out on top after the Met’s latest security blunder?

Was it the Met? Al Qaeda? Bob Quick? Or Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith?

It could be the Met, given Quick’s sharp resignation has now deflected the heat off of them at a time when Ian Tomlinson’s name is still firmly on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

But on the grounds that Quick jumped before he was pushed I am ruling the Met out – there’s no way they can be given the moral high-ground on this one.

Al Qaeda are an outside bet. After all the UK has lost a top anti-terror chief. But I’m not convinced for two reasons: 1) because the raid was still successful, thus weakening the terror group’s strength, and 2) because they should never win.

Now here’s a thought…could it be Jacqui Smith? Although she claimed she lost confidence in “bungling Bob” I’m not buying it. Nice try Jacqui but we all know you’re still looking for a scapegoat after your husband’s “bulging blondes” slip-up.

So, that leaves brand Bob Quick. And to be fair to him I think he deserves it. It’s refreshing to see senior public sector workers – come to think of it any public figure – stand up to their mistakes and take one on the chin.

Arise, Bob, quick, before I change my mind. Though I’m sure you’ll still land a cushtie little non-exec role somewhere…