A VISIT to cloud cuckoo land, or the message board on Henley MP Boris Johnson's official website as it is more commonly referred to, reveals some startling takes on the Tory MP's latest dilemma the fact he allegedly indulged in an extramarital affair, cheating on his wife and mother of his four children, Marina.

But hold on, apparently it's the Press at fault here.

On a crammed message board someone going by the name of Melissa said: "We have to be on the offensive and steer away from their level of reportage and raise our sights.

"I believe that very strongly there is more to life than the latest news flashes boo to them.

"Time to go and smell the roses and count the daisies."

STEPHEN Tall, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Headington, has been shortlisted in the New Media Awards category of the New Statesman New Media Awards for his regular diatribes on www.stephentall.org.uk These days councillors are increasingly using websites, emails and blogspots to get their message across. Except, that is, Bill Baker, the veteran deputy leader of Oxford City Council, who was threatened with a writ after posting allegedly libellous material about the IWCA through letterboxes in the city an act that forced his party to cough up £15,000 in an out-of-court settlement.

THE publicity-seeking Tory MP for Banbury MP, Tony Baldry, was caught out red-handed in an act of shameless self promotion last week when the Oxford Mail called with an exclusive story about an £82m debt forecast for Oxfordshire's NHS next year.

Just minutes after the Mail called Mr Baldry seeking his opinion, a press release was dispatched from his office and sent to dozens of media outlets across the region claiming credit for breaking the story and bringing it to people's attention.

Bad luck, Tony.

THE Insider is told Labour Oxford city councillors Alex Hollingsworth and John Tanner broke a picket line outside the Town Hall last week to attend a meeting while public sector workers walked out for the day.

Individuals who do this, and they are not normally Labour supporters, are affectionately known as 'scabs'. Charming.

BMW-driving Oxfordshire County Council leader 'Kaiser' Keith Mitchell has dropped a clanger and found himself six-months off the pace in congratulating the German-owned company on the fact 200,000 Minis have been produced at the Cowley plant.

That achievement was made late last year, as we reported at the time. Trumpeting the company's success this week, Mr Mitchell, pictured, said: "I am delighted to applaud BMW on reaching this landmark."

Seems realisation of the news must have been stuck in neutral, Keith.