Ellee Seymour

The reason I ask is because I remember seeing Ruth Kelly sitting on the front benches looking very smug as Tony Blair made his final speech as Prime Minister last Wednesday. She must have known that her political future was safe - despite her unremarkable achievements so far as Secretary of State for Education and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Minister for Women and Equality.

As the new Transport Secretary, I do not hold my breath that she will solve the problems of our gridlocked roads and overcrowded trains.

She seems to have the same kind of luck as Margaret Beckett, who sailed from one ministerial position to another, obviously knowing how to keep her nose clean and keeping in with the right people, without excelling in any particular area.

Having been top of Brown’s list for the heave-ho, I would not be surprised if Beckett decided the time was now right for her to retire and become a free-spirited caravan cruiser.

Let’s hope, for her sake, she doesn’t come across too many angry farmers who  remember too well her extraordinary gross incompetence over the single payments scheme which could cost the taxpayers a £300 million fine.

Not the sort of record that a Chancellor would find impressive. At least he had the guts to do something about it.

Tony Blair has launched a post Downing Street website stating this is where we can keep up to date with his news. Only there is nothing on it yet, not even a brief mention about his new position as Middle East envoy.

There is a link offering contact details for Blair, including media interviews. Otherwise, all the front page offers is the following quote:

“I came into office with high hopes for Britain’s future. I leave it with even higher hopes for Britain’s future. It has been an honour to serve it. I give my thanks to you, the British people.” Tony Blair, Trimdon Labour Club, 10 May 2007.

And you can sign up for his email updates, that’s the only facility available so far.

I think we all have higher hopes for Britain’s future, but they may not be the same as Blair’s vision. And what about Iraq’s future, which continues to spiral into further chaos and destruction? Shouldn’t that fit into the equation too?

I have just stumbled across an excellent blog which records the dissenting actions of backbenchers who disobey their whips called Revolts.

Its most recent post describes how in less than an hour of Gordon Brown leaving Buckingham Palace last Wednesday, Labour’s first rebel MP Austin Mitchell voted against the government.

He defied the Labour whip and voted with the Tories and Lib Dems during a division on New Clause 4 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Bill in what was  the first ever division to take place under the Brown regime.

It was spotted by rebellion-watcher Philip Cowley of Nottingham University, (I’m beginning to like this university even more!). He is part of an academic research team looking at the way MPs and peers votes.

Researchers have also analysed the actions of defecting Conservative MPs following Quentin Davies’ change of colours in an article called ”it’s voice, not vote”. It concludes that it’s not how many times MPs vote against their party that counts, but what they say when they openly voice their criticism.

And which Labour MP last week voted against the government for the 300th time? The answer is here. But according to Revolts, that is not good reason enough to make him defect.

Ylenia Carrisi is the daughter of Italian singer Albano Carrisi and Romina Power, whose father was the American actor Tyrone Power.

Ylenia was last seen in the French Quarter of New Orleans in January 1994 which she was visiting. She was 24.

At the time of her disappearance, Ylenia was staying in a hotel with street musician Alaxander Masakela. Masakela was arrested, but eventually released for lack of evidence to connect him to Ylenia’s disappearance.

The only other possible lead was a security guard who saw a woman, vaguely matching her description, jump into the Mississippi River. A coast guard search turned up no sign of her body, which may have been washed out to sea; and it has never been established that the person was in fact Ylenia, however.

Police searches have revealed nothingd, but bizarre sightings of her, like this recent one have been well publicised in Italy. Her mother still believes she’s alive while Albano has stated that he believes the security guard’s story.

Ylenia was the hostess on the Italian version of Wheel Of Fortune in 1989, and was regarded as something of a celebrity in her native country.

Hat tip Welshcakes Limoncello, who says: “They (the parents) are thought to have spent millions trying to find her but she has never been found.”

In memory of those who are still missing.