Nigel Dawkins' triumph in leading the successful opposition against Tesco's attempt to sell alcohol in Bournville reminded a packed house at the licensing sub-committee just how much the Birmingham City Council cabinet is missing a politician of rare ability.
Dawkins was one of the first casualties of council leader Mike Whitby's touchy-feely Liberal-Conservatism. Weeks after becoming cabinet member for leisure, sport and culture in 2004, Dawkins was forced to resign after proposing to replace the Christmas German market in Victoria Square with an English version.
His departure, according to Whitby, demonstrated the smack of firm leadership.
What it actually demonstrated was short-sightedness, since the council ranks are hardly overflowing with intelligent, natural communicators of Dawkins' standing.
He spoke at the licensing sub-committee for almost an hour, referring only briefly to notes, without repetition, without stuttering and with absolutely no need to trot out hackneyed soundbites.
And do you know what? He didn't once mention global city with a local heart.
No wonder he is being talked about as a dead cert for Tory candidate in the new Selly Oak parliamentary constituency.
---------
The visit of Home Secretary John Reid to the bars, clubs and flesh-pots of Broad Street did not go quite as smoothly as was claimed, I hear.
Reid's night-time tour of the golden mile obviously had to be treated on a need to know basis.
Unfortunately, someone decided Birmingham City Council didn't need to know.
The whole thing was hijacked by the police, according to my man in the lap dancing club. Although the idea of Reid's visit was to publicise the council-police partnership, which has turned Broad Street from a den of iniquity into the sort of place you could take your maiden aunt, council bods found themselves out of the loop.
Broad Street security wardens had to be hauled in to work when news of Reid's visit finally broke, since most of them would normally have been on a night off.
Jim Whorwood, cabinet member for local services and chairman of the community safety partnership, wasn't told about Reid's visit. Nor was Ian Coghill, head of the city centre management team.
Oddly enough, police community liaison officers knew all about it as did selected pub landlords.
---------
Meanwhile, Inner Voice, Birmingham City Council's staff magazine, pledges to keep workers informed over the contentious single status pay and grading review.
The April edition gives details of the number of staff likely to gain and lose money when the new salary structures come into effect in September.
Strangely, Inner Voice offers a rather more pessimistic view of events than the official line from cabinet human resources member Alan Rudge.
Rudge briefed journalists a couple of weeks ago that ten per cent of workers – about 4,000 people – would suffer a pay cut. According to Inner Voice's "Human Touch" article, 14.4 per cent of the workforce can expect to lose money – about 5,600 people.
There must be a simple explanation for the missing 1,600. Cock up or conspiracy, you take your choice.