His love of harmonicas, a soft spot for the Segway human transporter and his unlikely romance with a Cheeky Girl marked out Lembit Opik as one of Westminster's more light-hearted characters. Now, after the surprise of losing his seat at the election, the eccentric former MP has decided to try a career as a stand-up comedian.

Outlook Here Is an idea for Alistair Darling, or his successor. So anxious is the National Bank of Greece, the country's largest bank, about the parlous state of the public finances that it has launched an appeal to patriots. The bank now operates a "Solidarity Account", into which members of the public can make deposits to help pay off Greece's debts (those members of the public who aren't on their knees thanks to the Greeks' austerity measures).

Here beginneth three weeks of Hogarthian sluicing. The party conference season opens today with the Lib Dems in Bournemouth. Next week it's Labour in Brighton, then the Conservatives in Manchester. Hic.

After a mixed week for the BBC on the courage-under-fire front (see George Alagiah, below), a rousing thank the Lord for Alan Yentob.

This is more like it, the political gets physical. Two women were late, they were trying to get into Committee Room 14 where the Parliamentary Labour Party was convening for its weekly meeting.

David Davis’s attempt to become Tory party leader over three years ago may not have gone entirely to plan, but his ill-fated campaign did, at least, have one happy outcome.