A CITY councillor has been seeing green over his choice of party leaders. David Williams has thrown his weight behind Peter Cranie and Alex Phillips for leader and deputy leader of the green party after Caroline Lucas announced she was stepping down.

In a guest blog post on Ms Phillips’s website, he couldn’t help but plug his party four times in just a few short sentences.

He said: “I have made this decision based on the passion that they both show, their understanding of Green politics, their obvious political skills and their campaign experience.

“To me they both represent a new era for the Green Party with young dynamic, thoughtful Greens determined to see the Greens capture the public’s attention and imagination.”

He wouldn’t get very far on the popular Radio 4 show “Just a Minute”...

GEORGE Osborne’s plans for growth may not be working, but Oxfordshire County Council leader Ian Hudspeth ’s seem to be on track.

The prominent Tory has been tweeting about the progress of his sunflower, which is due to open any day now.

Maybe the chancellor should take a leaf out of Mr Hudspeth’s book whilst his career hangs in the balance?

HACKERS have taken control of two high-profile Twitter accounts recently.

Oxford Mail editorial staff have received several suspect messages from the Oxford Town Hall account, and the feed belonging to former county council leader Keith Mitchell .

The messages have not been opened for fear of viruses, but it just goes to show that nobody, no matter how “important”, is out of reach.

IT seems years of attending planning meetings may have become too much for former Lord Mayor John Goddard The veteran Lib Dem politician was left puzzled by a colourful architectural drawing of a housing extension, which he claimed resembled a “Lego house”.

It was left to Oxford City Council planning committee chair Oscar Van Nooijen to put Mr Goddard right, saying the house had been labelled in different colours to represent different materials.

But, Mr Goddard protested, “What’s that green thing?”

“It’s a hedge, John,” came his answer.

“And what’s that thing sticking up like a sore thumb?”

“A chimney.”

The Insider wonders if Mr Goddard really was confused, or just doing his very best to wind up his younger Labour Party counterpart...