Wow, what a Labour conference. It may be a clique, but the Miliband versus Milband drama really has been Shakesperean in its proportions.

First, there was the older brother expecting to become the King. His younger brother then challenged him for the crown - and won.

Critically, it was by the narrowest of margins. Sibling rivalry was intensified. What would the new King do with his vanquished brother - and what would he do.

Tonight we know the answer - David is quitting frontline politics. He will not serve in Ed's Shadow Cabinet. It is simple too much too bear and the analysis of every spit and cough as a sign of division too much a fear.

Perhaps, Shadow Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw put it best when I caught him at the conference: "It is a supreme sacrifice for the greater good of the party and the country."

But at the same time, this epic saga may yet run and run. One MP privately told me that David had been "petty" and thrown his toys out of his pram. And Ed last night kept open the door for a return to the frontline for his older brother.

... bad guys I have a soft spot for

ZURG (Toy Story 2)

Intent on taking over the galaxy, Zurg appears to be the archetypal villain until, during a climactic showdown with Buzz Lightyear, he announces he is actually the hero space ranger's father! Surely the most original plot twist of all time, it taught me a lot about giving people a second chance.

... SPENT a lovely couple of hours at the Centre For Life during one of its ever-popular pre-schooler days.

The first time I went to one of these gatherings, I was frankly too young and stupid to make the most of it.

Who knew there was a bubble-spewing disco upstairs, together with a giant Connect Four and postcard-making table?

It has been an exciting week at Telfer Towers. Jimmy , our talking cocker spaniel, has had a homemade haircut.

Dad got some doggy clippers after deciding that paying three times more to have the dogs trimmed than he paid to keep his own barnet in shape, was "frankly ridiculous".

Mum did make the argument that the dogs (Jimmy, his wife Maxi and their little girl Jam) have considerably more hair than Dad... and she's didn't even mean his widening forehead.

But he was determined. They don't call him Scrooge McTightwad for nothing. (KIDDING, if you're reading, Dad.)

Almost without surprise, the Government has indicated its replacement plans for regional economic support in the North East might not be so well thought through. All those Local Enterprise Partnerships, five across 12 councils, have been told they may have to look again at larger groupings.

That we don't already have just one or two partnerships covering the North East is because of a little something the rest of the region refers to as "that Geordie capital".

He will have to make the speech of his life... that is what one Labour MP said to me ahead of Ed Miliband's conference speech this afternoon.

Well, yes isn't that obvious? Maybe, but the reason given by the MP shows the tensions that have left this conference without that buzz you might have expected with a new leader.

But the leadership vote split 50.65 per cent to 49.35 per cent in favour of Ed rather than David - with support from the unions just pushing him ahead. More North East MPs for example gave David their backing.

Ed Miliband said he wanted to take Labour in a new direction and that a "new generation" is now running the show.

Well, he might have been a confidant of Gordon Brown and even a friend. But that hasn't stopped him preparing to trash Labour's economic record - with a denunication of Gordon Brown's claims of ending boom and bust expected to be the rhetorical flourish to his first leader's speech to the Labour conference.

Once again, Newcastle United went from the sublime to the ridiculous at the weekend. Two superb victories over Everton and Chelsea was followed by a weak performance against a very, very poor team.

I usually really dislike going to the hairdressers. The way the washbasin digs into your neck. The old is-it-rude-to-close-my-eyes-and-go-to-sleep-while-she's-washing-my-hair dilemma. Having to sit in front of a mirror for all that time, scrutinizing your appearance. Do I really pull those daft expressions when I speak?
Getting fidgety when the blow dry takes too long; the expense of the whole palaver; the chunk of time it takes and of course, the horror of seeing your colour come out all wrong.

This has to be the strangest Labour conference I have been to. I think it could be named the hangover conference.

By that I mean the party is in shock about the election victory of Ed Miliband, rather than his brother David.

One MP last night told me it was a "terrible" result engineered by the unions while another said the party had voted with its "heart not its head".

On top of that the buzz you might reasonably expect from the election of a new leader was missing. The main hotel was like a ghost town pretty early last night, according to one attendee on twitter. They weren't far wrong.

Perhaps the reason behind the nervousness is the Shakespearean drama being played out. Miliband vs Miliband. The younger brother beating the older brother to the crown. How will they handle each other. Will David exit the stage?