Labour’s outgoing chief secretary to the Treasury left his successors a note, warning there was “no money left”, writes our Dudley man Mark Mudie.

They said it would hurt. They warned the axe would fall. And yet somehow, the scale of the coalition cuts has left us all shellshocked, writes our Dudley man Mark Mudie.

It is the stuff of nightmares. The phone rings. It’s an unexpected call from your son on the other side of the world, writes our Dudley man Mark Mudie.

An eerie hush descended on Dudley at 6pm on Easter Saturday, a town breathing a collective sigh of relief after a day when tension stalked the streets, writes our Dudley man Mark Mudie.

“What they did was exceptionally unpleasant and the fact that a little boy ended up dead is not something that the nation can easily forget, writes our Dudley man Mark Mudie.

Dudley is enjoying almost unparalleled prominence on the political landscape, with the Tory leader, shadow chancellor and a respected front bench veteran all visiting the borough in recent weeks, writes our Dudley man Mark Mudie.

In Westminster, a tumultuous parliament draws to a close, writes our Dudley man Mark Mudie.

Out of sight, out of mind, so the old adage goes, writes our Dudley Man Mark Mudie.

Happy New Year all from the blogosphere, and an intriguing one it looks sure to be in Dudley, writes our Dudley Man Mark Mudie.