Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has announced that he's intending to run as a Labour candidate for a seat on his local council at an upcoming by election. Rowntree told The Independent. "I've been a long-standing member of the Labour party and active in local politics for a while. I'm a Westminster resident and in my experience of living here, it all looks lovely - there are hanging baskets everywhere - but you only need to scratch beneath the surface and see that there's a lot of deprivation and a lot of inequality around. I think someone needs to do something about it."
He might have some trouble getting elected on 3 May, however, as Westminster is traditionally a Conservative sort of a ward, as you might expect. Don't know what bandmate Damon Albarn thinks about it - he seemed to be a fan of New Labour pre-1997 (as were many, I might add) but has since appeared to be somewhat disillusioned, reportedly declining an invitation to Downing Street with a note saying: "I am no longer a New Labour supporter. I am now a Communist. Enjoy the schmooze, comrade."