The Observer, weddings and wicked lotteries...

Now I don't want you thinking I'm partial when it comes to my Sunday newspapers; so having being lunched by the Sunday Times yesterday it was the turn of the Observer and Daniel Boffey, the policy editor.
A great little restaurant off Chancery Lane with tables to sit and enjoy the somewhat rare appearance of the sun.

It's always fascinating talking to journalists- not just for the chance to dangle news morsels but because they always have a fascinating store of stories and insight into current events.We had a good natter about my time writing the competition report...I really ought to write a book on it!

And to round off the day it was off to Morden for the wedding of old friends. This was the register office version; they have a proper full-on Muslim wedding in Morocco in August ! Great Brixton Reception on Acre Lane, then off for dinner with Headhunter Honcho David Fielding. So to make up for excess consumption its a puritan weekend ...

                                                   Jy and Delilah wed- Merton


And don't think it was all happy abandonment yesterday . I'm working on the campaign to get our Olympics cash back. Started off by the feisty Debra Alcock-Tyler we need to notch this up a gear. And it's right for ACEVO to push this as we have been staunch defenders of the lottery. I'm proud we were leading the fight against the Desmond health lottery. If ACEVO does not speak truth to power then that is a poor reflection on all CEOs!but its gone a bit quiet hasn't it! Perhaps that is because the desmond lottery failed to meet their target on the money they would give to health charities. And its not widely known but they have had the cheek to apply for a licence to run on line casinos- How you can reconcile running addictive casino games and support health charities goodness only knows!

I am seeing the Gambling Commission soon to let them know my views on all this. The judicial review on their decision to licence a direct competitor to the national lottery - despite the intentions of Parliament- starts soon. Fingers crossed this sorts it out. It's important not just in terms of the Desmond lottery but because if the Gambling Commission get away with licencing any attempt to compete at national level with the Lottery then it might fatally undermine the amount that is raised for good causes.


And to complete the hat trick let's get Jeremy Hunt to do the decent thing on Olympics cash.