WHAT a chore it is being leader of Her Majesty's opposition.

Take David Cameron, the leader of the Tories, for example.

He is swanning around his west Oxfordshire constituency, popping in and out of pubs that were flooded during the rising waters of last summer.

Tomorrow, it's the turn of The Court Inn, Witney.

He has made it a personal quest to visit the hostelries that were affected during the flooding, presumably enjoying a swift half or two on his arduous journey.

It's just a shame he didn't show this much interest when the floods actually hit.

If you remember, he was out of the country at the time - in the much warmer environs of Africa.

FAR from us to suggest officers at Oxford City Council are lazy or don't like late nights, but a recent suggestion by the Town Hall's resident legal eagle, Jeremy Thomas, has ruffled a few feathers, to say the least.

We learn that Mr Thomas, a normally mild-mannered Welshman, suggested next month's city council election count should take place the morning after the poll, on Friday, May 2.

The idea is based loosely on what happened in May 2005, after Oxfordshire County Council officers couldn't be bothered to count up on the same night as the General Election.

It has sparked uproar among some councillors, one of whom remarked: "Who do you think we are, the county council?"

BORIS Johnson has been strangely quiet lately, hasn't he?

A longer-than-usual gaffe-free period prompted Victoria Derbyshire, the host of the mid-morning phone-in slot of Radio Five Live, to suggest the Henley MP and Conservative candidate for London Mayor might have been muzzled by party leader David Cameron.

Not so, Mr Cameron cried, adding: "I think the Press is disappointed because they think they are entitled to have three gaffes a day (from Boris)."

INVITATIONS being sent to the wrong people isn't usually something that commands our attention, especially where Oxford City Council is concerned (see OAPs bus pass fiasco).

However, this one seemed particularly apt.

The scatty Local Government Association dished out invites for a conference later in the year, but Liberal Democrat city councillor Patrick Murray received the Labour Deputy Lord Mayor's...and so on.

The subject of the conference?

Dementia.

THE slightly camp title of the new James Bond film, The Quantum of Solace - starring Daniel Craig, below - raised a few eyebrows when it was released.

But so has the latest location for filming... Henley.

Spies working for The Insider suggest some of the film is being shot by the punts on the river at the south Oxfordshire market town.

So, judging from what we know so far, it is hardly going to set the pulses racing, is it?