City Spy: Finsbury is under fire on MP claims

"We've asked that the PRCA terminates Finsbury's membership," says Spinwatch, which points out that the PRCA's code of conduct states that "political consultants must not employ any MP, MEP, or sitting peer".

Spinwatch's complaint follows a report by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and the Sunday Times, which alleged that Walker has lobbied for a cut in beer tax while being paid £2,500 a month by RLM Finsbury.

Walker and RLM Finsbury both say he has done no work for booze clients. The MP, who was a partner at the agency before being elected last year, says in his Register of Members' Interests that his work for RLM Finsbury has involved advising Rio Tinto, Vedanta, Tomkins and Morgan Crucible - none of which has links to the drinks industry.

The PRCA says it is investigating Spinwatch's complaint. "We do not believe we have broken any rules," a spokesman for RLM Finsbury tells Public Affairs News magazine.

* Things seemingly forgotten about Steve Jobs since his death include this quote: "Doing LSD was one of the two or three most important things I have done in my life," he once told an interviewer. Microsoft's Bill Gates, he added, would "be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once". Apple's mantra, remember, was "think different", something aficionados also seemed to forget, all uniformly praising him as "a visionary".

* As the gold price headed towards $2000 a while ago, City Spy was deluged with emails from the gold bugs every time it dared to suggest this bubble must burst. Typical, printable, comment: "You are a MUPPETT! Gold is going to at least $5000! M.u.p.p.e.t.t." Gold today: $1639. Where are you, fellas? We miss you.

Google's taxing time on the airwaves

Luke Johnson enjoying squeezing the soft extremities of Google UK boss Matt Brittan on the radio over the weekend. "All my companies end up paying about 25%, why's it only two and a half per cent for you?" moaned the investor behind Giraffe restaurants and Patisserie Valerie. "I don't really recognise the picture you paint," bleated Brittin, who perhaps hasn't googled Google, tax and UK.

* Nick Bubb at Arden Partners offers this quote of the day, from US motivational speaker John C Maxwell: "A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit."

* Note to anti-City demonstrators planning to march on the London Stock Exchange this Saturday. Erm... nobody's around in the City at weekends apart from the tourists...

Wisden padded up for Indian match

As Wisden marches into India with a brand new licensing deal and the aim of becoming the "Home of Indian Cricket", will it be fighting tooth and nail against the Cricinfo website which is already big on the sub-continent? Not according to Bloomsbury - which owns Wisden - director Richard Charkin. "We know Cricinfo very well. We don't believe we are in competition," he says. "Their business is based on live cricket - the score, analysis and chatter. We plan to be the independent voice of cricket in India - the home of the best comment." So it is just coincidence that Wisden India has already signed up former Cricinfo global sales chief Alex Chamberlen as an adviser.

* Signs of the times: If you look upwards outside Leicester Square Tube station in Cranbourn Street you will see this fine terracotta panel (pictured) installed when Wisden based its publishing headquarters there in about 1915. What you see below requires no comment.