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"He had thick envelopes on every MP, cuttings dating back decades. It was a biographer's goldmine."

There is something very compelling about the now well out of date systems used in press-cutting libraries. (As used to be seen in most major newspapers around the World. I still vividly remember working with several Fleet Street national newspaper libraries as well as several in the newspapers of the major cities of the USA.)

The knowledge that someone had read, selected, cut and put away in the little brown envelope, the cuttings form yesterday, last week, last month, last year, many decades ago or even over a century ago and now they were available to you is almost overwhelming. This experience is now entirely gone. True Google gives you the responses more rapidly, but when one handles the actual press cutting you knew that they had been published and this gave them a verisimilitude that no Wikipedia entry can ever have. (And of course the legal notes - highlighting the lost libel action relating to a particular matter stuffed in the file.)

I thoroughly endorse your final sentence - "When you are doing research proper newspaper cuttings beat electronic databases any day."

I would also add that digitised or even microfilmed old newspapers are not the same as handling the originals and that is it a tragedy of major proportions that the World famous British Library Newspaper Library in Colindale is to close and essentially only offer electronic access in London. The British Library and their masters the DCMS are vandals! We need to act now to prevent this major loss. The difference is between a facsimile first folio or Lindisfarne Gospels and the original - yet the British Library for reasons of saving money will destroy this priceless asset!

Talking about ditching people?: Certain people in and around Number 10 are getting a bit jumpy about the current business secretary, Vince Cable. The word on the street is that he will be 'encouraged' to stand as London Mayor in 2012. "He's too much of an obstical in the Coalition already". Take note that Boris has yet to throw his hat into the ring.....and the LibDems still haven't detailed their selection process....It couldn't have crossed Clegg/Cameron's thoughts to use 'one stone' as it were surely? Maybe thinking out loud should start taking the shape of private walks and talks in the rose garden.....Civil servants have ears and all that.

the knives are out for Vince...there is a God after all...come back and welcome to the fight...