YOU'VE got to hand it to those Tories at Worcestershire County Council, who are swallowing up all the 'positive mantra' thinking in these most austere of times.

It's a lovely phrase, but if The Source has to hear the words 'world class Worcestershire' one more time in 2014, it'll be too soon.

A sign was plastered outside the Conservative's cosy group room at County Hall recently saying they were not only in a 'blue sky' meeting, but a 'pre-blue sky' one.

Is this where the brainwashing takes place?

* SO Boris Johnson has announced he wants to stand for parliament, and is no doubt eyeing up a comfortable seat not too far from his sprawling London home.

There were rumours that last year, when The Source believes his mind to stand was already made up anyway, he was looking at Sir Peter Luff's safe Mid-Worcestershire constituency as a possible stomping ground.

That particular path was closed when Google exec Nigel Huddleston snapped it up, a great personal victory for him in a seat where Vladimir Putin would probably win if he sported a blue rosette.

Despite the fact he's building on a 15,864 majority, word reaches The Source that the local branch has started its general election campaign "extra early" by printing a bumper 35,000 leaflets to be delivered to almost every home in the entire constituency by September.

What's the point?

* WORCESTER MP Robin Walker has already won one mini-promotion recently by becoming Parliamentary Private Secretary to Environment Secretary Liz Truss, but what the job involves can cause confusion.

Worcester Community Trust tweeted a picture of his visit to them on Wednesday, calling it a "snack and chat" session with the "PM".

Our man replied by saying "steady on, afraid I'm only an MP at this stage".

It's an easy mix up.

* IT'S BEEN a difficult time for ex-Worcestershire MEP Nikki Sinclaire, who after losing her seat is now appearing before court next month charged with alleged money laundering and false travel expenses from her time in the European parliament.

Far from putting her off travel, she's been getting away from it all by holidaying in that well-known hotspot of Siberia, via Moscow.

It's little surprise Nikki, who denies doing anything wrong, avoided a vacation in the EU, after all Alex Salmond doesn't holiday in London.

Highlights from the trip, according to her Twitter feed, included a "sausage that looked like saveloy", a "Big Macski" meal at a McDonald's in Moscow and a trip on a trans-Siberian train in a shared cabin where she spotted an "almost naked" woman.

Cor blimey.