The feral beast: Interest in pots and kettles

Much talk of MPs failing to declare their interests – but do parliamentary journalists?

In the latest Register of Journalists' Interests, Fraser Nelson declares himself as a commentator for The Spectator, forgetting his lucrative News of the World column; Andrew Neil, calls himself publisher of The Business, even though it no longer exists, and omits to mention his many other jobs; Andrew Gimson doesn't say he is Boris Johnson's biographer; Robin Oakley and Melissa Kite fail to declare their columns for The Spectator; and Andrew Alexander is down as working for ITV, despite having a column in the Mail. All are breaking parliamentary rules. Can't they get their house in order?

Keith Waterhouse puts down his pen

With great dignity and minimal fuss, Keith Waterhouse has quietly bowed out of Fleet Street. The novelist and Billy Liar author has ceased to write his column for the Daily Mail, where it appeared twice a week for 25 years. In a recent interview to mark his 80th birthday, Waterhouse told the IoS he had no plans to stop writing, but circumstances have dictated otherwise. The Waterhouse slot is to be filled by no less a talent, the parodist Craig Brown, who was snapped up by the Mail after a bloodbath of sackings at the Telegraph. Neither the Mail nor Waterhouse responded to calls.

Garrick grumbles over Myners

Whispers of discontent at the Garrick Club, where former Guardian Media Group chairman Paul Myners is up for membership. Some members feel the City minister is unworthy of the salmon and cucumber tie, as the man who gave the nod to the unsavoury pension pot of Sir Fred "the Shred". But he can't be all bad: his sponsors are top journalists Simon Jenkins and Alan Rusbridger. As it happens, Myners was chairman of GMG when Rusbridger's salary shot up 15 per cent last year. Capital fellow.

Knighted for services to Tookey?

Theatre and film producer Bill Kenwright, right, is perhaps not the most popular man in the West End, since he is known to be, shall we say, careful with the purse strings. But he got an amazing big-up from Daily Mail film critic Christopher Tookey, who said Kenwright "should have been knighted years ago for his services to theatre". What can have brought on such treacle? A few years ago Tookey was director and writer of a West End musical called Hard Times. The producer credits included the name B Kenwright – or Sir William, as Tookey would like him to be known.

Mullin tries out 'lie machine'

Intriguing to see Labour MP Chris Mullin write a piece in the Daily Mail, complete with a puff for his newly published memoirs, A View from the Foothills. In the book he refers several times to the Mail group as "the Harmsworth lie machine", at one point rejecting an offer to write for the Mail on Sunday, loftily noting they "must be joking", calling it "a loathsome rag". He went on to sell the serialisation rights to the Mail on Sunday – there's nothing a fat cheque can't mend in these straitened times.