Raise your half-empty glass

Unions exist to stir things up, and often their leaders suffer from delusions of omnipotence. Not so Paul Mackney, general secretary of lecturers' union Natfhe, who gave guests at a House of Commons party last week to celebrate the union's centenary a surprisingly honest glimpse into his world. He toasted his union's biggest victory last year - being narrowly defeated by the Government on top-up fees - before reflecting that this was the story of Natfhe's life: losing by a hair's breadth, but losing nonetheless.