O tempora, o mores

The Conservative Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, Keith Mitchell, is that rare breed, a jocular curmudgeon. When a Tory major complained to him about a lack of grit for our ice-rink-like roads, he followed suit, responding by complaining about, well, a lack of grit.

'What has happened at the British spirit that defeated Hitler and yet quails at a little snow?'

Before you start accusing this generation of being no wartime heroes, let's remember, Mr Mitchell, that you are no Winston Churchill.

Change of circumstances

The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that the strapline at the top of this page has changed. As those who know me will realise, 2009 saw two crises hit the Rundle family. With the cumulative effect of them, it has become impossible for me to continue, for the time being, leading our LibDem group on Oxford City Council. You can imagine my frustration, in the run-up to the most important set of elections Oxford will have seen this millennium, as we face a Labour administration better at the political street fights than at running our liberal city. But there was not a scintilla of doubt in my mind about my priorities: in this situation, family must come first. There are, after all, very capable councillors who can run our group.

For the immediate future, my focus in Oxford politics will be on continuing to work hard to represent the good people of Headington. I have made no secret of the fact that helping my ward is what I enjoy most as a councillor and so it is with relish that I will pursue that through, I hope, this year and beyond.