David Maddox: MPs get their holiday

Well that's it then, we almost know exactly when the election will be called.
Harriet Harman announced in the parliamentary business statement that there will after all be an Easter recess in parliament much to the huge relief of MPs who had all but given up on a holiday.
Having said that they will almost certainly be spending their break tramping up and down streets in the phony election war.
MPs quit the Commons for a week on Tuesday 30 March and return on Tuesday 6 April. That means, according to the sears here in the Commons, it is almost certain that Gordon Brown will call the election after Prime Minister's questions on Wednesday 7 April giving us a month to 6 May.

David Maddox: Easy to forget the small things...

Which must be why the Scottish Government forgot to list the publication of the draft budget on Thursday in its week ahead diary. It is after all only the biggest event of the Scottish political week.

But with the tough choices ahead of him, maybe finance secretary John Swinney, who bears a vague resemblance to Homer Simpson (top right), hoped nobody would notice.