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Cllr Pritchard Has Ruined a Perfectly Good Story
I asked Birmingham’s Deputy Leader an awkward housing question, got the silence I had anticipated by my deadline, wrote accordingly, and then the fellow…
20 hrs ago
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Mike Olley
From Cast Iron to the Ivory Tower
Cllr Julien Pritchard a first-rate local champion who demanded cast-iron guarantees on affordable housing. Then he became Birmingham’s Deputy Leader…
Aug 10
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Mike Olley
1
THE WEEKLY GRIT
Who’s in charge of common sense?
Aug 8
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Mike Olley
4
1
The Chief Constable Who Acted When the Prime Minister Did Not?
Chief Constable Jason Hogg is seeking action over PC Andrew Harper’s killers. Andy Burnham must now explain when Britain’s prison crisis will finally be…
Aug 7
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Mike Olley
1
The Mixed Grill Massacre: Whitbread Calls Last Orders Across the Midlands
Beefeater is closing all 106 restaurants. The real loss is not fine dining but the ordinary Midlands places where families met, staff worked and life…
Aug 6
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Mike Olley
The Village Is Never Just One Village
Bloodshed in Kashmir and Birmingham’s new politics expose the arguments hidden beneath easy labels such as Asian, Pakistani and Muslim.
Aug 5
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Mike Olley
3
2
Two Men, a Dog and a Flying Trumpet Player at Bleakhouse Library
I predicted an audience of two men and a dog. Sandwell supplied a packed library, extra jazz, tea, history and a trumpet player entering the second half…
Aug 4
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Mike Olley
5
The Chief Constable Who Resigned Before They Could Sack Him
Chris Noble would have been dismissed without notice for gross misconduct. The public knows the verdict, but not what Staffordshire’s former Chief…
Aug 3
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Mike Olley
3
3
1
July 2026
Bond, Phillip Bond, and Warwickshire Police’s No Further Action Habit
Threats, a defaced memorial bench and years of reports. Warwickshire Police says insufficient evidence. Its own record makes that answer worth…
Jul 31
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Mike Olley
3
1
Tony Iommi Is Still Just Tony, Which Is Quite an Achievement
Mrs Olley and I went to support a friend launching his first solo album in 21 years. Birmingham turned up to celebrate a legend. Tony Iommi simply…
Jul 30
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Mike Olley
3
The Jobs Fair That Left the Curling Civic Sandwiches Behind
More than 400 young people found employers, training and practical help in a Birmingham venue built around excitement rather than officialdom.
Jul 29
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Mike Olley
1
4
Mayor Richard Parker Was Far Too Generous to Britain’s Fifth City
Manchester’s civic swagger is easy to mock. Harder is admitting that Greater Manchester works because its neighbours grew up, while ours still fight…
Jul 28
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Mike Olley
3
4
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