On s’y attendait si peu... Bon, blague à part, en Poitou-Charentes les résultats du deuxième tour sont conformes à ce qu’on pouvait attendre du 1er tour. Comme je le disais l’autre soir à un figurant de la liste Royal qui faisait semblant d’être inquiet pour m’exhorter à aller voter, c’était plié d’avance genre 60 à 40. Mais j’ai voté. Pas comme mon pote Dominique qui n’est plus à jour de ses cotisations (mais lui c’est à l’UMP) depuis deux ans et qui hésitait pour ce dimanche, non pas entre Bussereau et Royal, mais entre pétanque et pêche à la ligne...

Donc Royal a ridiculisé Bussereau avec 61 à 39 sur la région, en sièges 39 à 16. Dans les Deux-Sèvres, le Nord a moins plébiscité la présidente sortante avec «Â seulement » 56% dans les circonscriptions de Parthenay et Bressuire, tandis que le Sud (Niort et Melle) l’élisent avec en moyenne 10 points de plus, avec des pointes à plus de 70% sur Melle et Celles. Une abstention importante mais loin d’être la plus calamiteuse du pays avec une participation de 53,5 %. Cependant, Ségolène Royal ne sera pas la présidente de région la mieux élue de France : Martin Malvy fait près de 68% en Midi-Pyrénées !

Pour le reste, on n’aura jamais vu pareille hécatombe de ministres candidats à une élection... Je me réjouis particulièrement de la déroute de Darcos en Aquitaine, un Darcos petit joueur qui parle de se retirer sur Arcachon !  Sinon, la persistance d’une abstention élevée (record pour un second tour de régionales) ainsi que la progression (en pourcentage) du Front National sont des symptômes qui questionnent autant l’UMP au pouvoir que le PS appelé à lui succéder un jour. Frêche le honni, confortablement réélu en Languedoc-Roussillon, avait beau jeu de pointer l’archaïsme du PS et de l’UMP qui fonctionneraient comme au siècle précédent. L’ennui, c’est que personne n’a trouvé comment mieux «Â fonctionner », comment rendre plus crédibles les discours, les programmes et un personnel politique paradoxalement de plus en plus professionnel et de plus en plus déconnecté des préoccupations des citoyens de base... 

PS : Une voix aura manqué à la liste Royal au second tour, celle de Françoise Billy, conseillère générale et ancienne Première fédérale PS, naguère  «Â Première Fed’ » sur ce blog, qui vient de s’éteindre à 62 ans. Recueillement ce lundi à 13 h 15 au crématorium de Niort.

Broadway now beckons for 28-year-old Katori Hall, whose play had world premiere on tiny pub stage

It was meant to be the glittering awards night where Jerusalem went up against Enron. But they were both pipped by a play from a young, black female writer which had its world premiere on a tiny pub stage in south London.

Katori Hall's The Mountaintop was the surprise winner of best new play when this year's Laurence Olivier awards were handed out tonight.

Hall, from Memphis, Tennessee, was inspired to write her play – an imagined account of Martin Luther King's last evening before his 1968 assassination – by a family story about her mother. It was spotted by James Dacre, son of Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre, who directed its world premiere at the 65-seat Theatre503, above a pub in Battersea.

From there it was championed by producer Sonia Friedman, who took it to the West End, where it won glowing reviews and nightly standing ovations.

Now Broadway beckons for Hall, who is still only 28. Nica Burns, president of the Society of London Theatres, predicted an even brighter future for the playwright with an Olivier under her belt. "It is a wonderful fairy story and the award is going to a very talented and deserving winner."

Elsewhere, it was a bad Olivier night for Shakespeare, the National Theatre and the English National Opera but a good one for Tennessee Williams, the Royal Opera and the Royal Court theatre.

The last, led by Dominic Cooke, had the most to smile about after tonight's black-tie do at the Grosvenor House hotel in London, having a hand in many of the successful productions.

Jez Butterworth's Jerusalem began life there and it won two awards: best actor for Mark Rylance and best set design for Ultz. It was Rylance's second Olivier, winning from a strong shortlist that included Jude Law, James Earl Jones and Sam West.

Enron, meanwhile – a Royal Court and Chichester co-production written by Lucy Prebble – won Rupert Goold the best director award.

The Royal Court's success continued when Michael Wynne's The Priory won best new comedy and, finally, it won the outstanding achievement in an affiliate theatre award for the play Cock.

It was not a bad year either for the Donmar Warehouse. Its production of A Streetcar Named Desire won two acting awards: Rachel Weisz picked up best actress for her stunning Blanche DuBois and Ruth Wilson won best supporting actress for her portrayal of Stella. Further success for the small Covent Garden theatre came when rising star Eddie Redmayne won best supporting actor for his portrayal of Mark Rothko's put-upon assistant in Red.

Williams's Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, with its all-black cast, won best revival, beating strong competition that included The Misanthrope and A View From the Bridge.

In the musical categories the most striking winner was a production that was adored by critics – but failed to get audiences to come and see it.

Spring Awakening, an entertaining teenage sexual angst romp, won best new musical, beating musicals which the public, conversely, are going to see in their droves: Priscilla and Sister Act. Two of its young stars also won acting awards in shortlists that included such famous names as Rowan Atkinson, Sheila Hancock and Maureen Lipman. Aneurin Barnard won best actor in a musical and Iwan Rheon won best supporting actor/actress.

The Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park won best musical revival for Hello Dolly! beating A Little Night Music, Annie Get Your Gun and Oliver! Dolly herself, in the shape of Samantha Spiro, won best musical actress.

A new audience award for most popular show, voted for by members of the public, went to Wicked from a list that also included Billy Elliot, The Phantom of the Opera, War Horse and We Will Rock You.

The Royal Opera's Tristan und Isolde took both opera awards: best new production and outstanding achievement for the Swedish soprano Nina Stemme.

The best new dance award also went to a Covent Garden commission, a collaboration between choreographer Kim Brandstrup and Royal Ballet principal Tamara Rojo. The Rambert Dance Company won the outstanding achievement award for its strong year. A special award, equivalent to a lifetime achievement award, went to theatrical royalty – Dame Maggie Smith – while the theatre producer Michael Codron also won an outstanding achievement award for his 60 influential years in the business.

The awards, now in their 34th year, are decided by panels. The theatre panel, for example, which saw 87 shows, is made up of five professionals and four members of the public. And they come after the strongest West End year ever, with box office receipts topping more than half a billion pounds for the first time.

"Last year, with all the recessionary gloom, I predicted a 10% drop in audiences," said Burns. "I have never been so happy to eat my words."

• Olivier awards
• Awards and prizes
• Theatre

Conservative leader and cabinet ministers condemn findings of undercover 'sting'

David Cameron today sought to turn Labour sleaze into a damaging election issue when he called on Gordon Brown to investigate allegations that former cabinet ministers, including Stephen Byers and Geoff Hoon, had shown they were willing to use their access and influence to lobby in return for cash.

Cameron called on Brown to investigate Byers's claims that he had successfully lobbied the transport secretary, Lord Adonis, and the business secretary, Lord Mandelson, to change important decisions on behalf of commercial firms.

Byers claimed he had persuaded Mandelson to tone down food labelling rules on behalf of Tesco. He also suggested he had persuaded Adonis to tone down his approach to National Express over its decision to pull out of the East Coast main line franchise.

Byers, offering himself as "a cab for hire", made the claims in an attempt to persuade an undercover reporter posing as a company executive of his influence in government. He said he would expect £3,000 to £5,000 in return for his services

He was secretly recorded by journalists from Channel 4 and the Sunday Times posing as representatives of an American lobbying firm. He withdrew the claims a day later. Adonis, Mandelson and both companies have denied the claims.

Cabinet ministers including the foreign secretary, David Miliband, denounced Byers and the other former ministers. "There is absolutely no room for anyone to trade on their ministerial office," Miliband said. Labour also quickly followed an earlier Conservative initiative by making a manifesto commitment to a statutory registry of lobbyists.

But Cameron said the claims raised wider questions about whether MPs had broken sleaze rules and urged Gordon Brown to investigate potential breaches within the government itself. Exploiting Labour discomfort, Cameron said: "These are shocking allegations. I have been warning for some time that lobbying would be the next scandal to hit politics.

"First of all, the House of Commons needs to conduct a thorough investigation into these [former] Labour ministers but also the prime minister would want to get to the bottom of the allegations being made about his government". There were also calls for Byers to be investigated by the standards commissioner.

Byers issued a statement yesterday saying: "I am confident that any investigation from the standards commissioner will confirm that I have always fully complied with the MPs' code of conduct. I have never lobbied ministers on behalf of commercial organisations and have always fully disclosed my outside interests."

There has been no suggestion that he sought money from either Tesco or National Express. This meant he was not required to register the meetings in his entry in the register of interests. He also had no requirement to seek the agreement of the business advisory committee on public appointments since he was not offered a job by the fictitious lobbying firm.

Byers, due to stand down at the election as MP for North Tyneside, said he had exaggerated his influence, and both National Express and Tesco rejected his account. A spokesman for Tesco said: "We did not speak to Mr Byers on food labelling, regulation or indeed any other issue. These claims are completely fictitious and Mr Byers has acknowledged this to us."

Adonis and National Express both denied Byers had influenced government thinking. The firm said: "We have not paid Stephen Byers MP in relation to the discussions we had with him on the East Coast main line or for any other matter. He has not made any deals for National Express."

Labour responded to the revelations by saying "the time has come to support a statutory register of lobbyists and we will bring forward proposals to that effect in our manifesto, building on the work we have already done to create a voluntary code." The public administration select committee proposed a statutory code a year ago, but the government rejected the proposal in favour of a voluntary measure.

In other responses to the committee report, the government agreed departments will publish online information about ministerial meetings with interest groups and hospitality received in a ministerial capacity on a quarterly basis.

Hoon, the former defence secretary, offered to lead delegations to ministers and told the reporter that he was looking to turn his knowledge and contacts into "something that frankly makes money". Hoon said: "There was a discussion about my qualifications and experience for such a position. I made clear in the course of the conversation that I would not lobby government and that I was not interested in work of that kind.

"At no stage did I offer, nor would I attempt, to sell confidential or privileged information arising from my time in government. "I did not break any parliamentary or ministerial rules in the course of the conversation."

Patricia Hewitt, a former health secretary, was accused of claiming she helped to obtain a key seat on a government advisory group for a client paying her £3,000 a day. She later denied the allegation, saying she had only been offering to do such work once she had left the Commons.

Thirteen Labour MPs and seven Tories were approached for the investigation. The Tory whips' office was alerted to a possible sting when one of their MPs, Julie Kirkbride, became suspicious of a fake lobbyist.

• Labour
• David Cameron

Kathryn Jean Lopez / The Corner on National Review Online:
The Executive Order: A Dangerous, Non-Binding Show — By: Kathryn Jean Lopez  —  As of last night, this was the text.  Not having a ton of Democratic sources, I can't tell you if this is the final or not, assuming there is even such a thing: … The reality of this or any other text, though is: It is meaningless legally.

It is 16 years since the MPs' cash-for-questions scandal but standards in public life still fall short

It is 16 years since the Guardian uncovered cash for questions and a group of Conservative MPs prepared to go lobbying on demand; 16 years since a Sunday Times sting found too many "honour- able members" ready to put their hands in the cookie jar; 16 years since an embattled John Major set up the Committee on Standards in Public Life to make our democracy a purer, more ordered thing. And here we go again. Another sting: another stench.

Try examining yesterday's Channel 4/Sunday Times exercise in the kindliest light. Not all of the MPs approached by a phoney PR company took the bait. Nobody did anything illegal. Some responses were more pathetic than menacing. Margaret Moran – on her way out after the expenses debacle – offered to ring up a "girls' gang" of MPs to push an appropriate cause. Geoff Hoon confessed wanly: "I've got two children at university, so I've got to get a job."

The top name on this lousy list, Stephen Byers, made an ass of himself: "I'm like a cab for hire – at £5,000 a day." Maybe the stuff about pushing Lord Adonis to go easy on National Express was merely more promotional blah – though his claims there, filmed and recorded before being hastily withdrawn, ought to be investigated.

In a sense, the details revealed are less important than the general impression confirmed. Sixteen years ago, it was Conservative MPs who were stuck in the lobbying mire. Now it's Labour MPs, and ostensibly sentient ex-ministers to boot. What on earth is Patricia Hewitt, former warrior for Age Concern, former chief of the National Council for Civil Liberties that turned into Liberty, doing meeting with supposed PR companies, let alone offering to help them fix this or that?

Cash for questions 1994 was a savage blow to voters who held parliament in unquestioning esteem. The expenses shambles 2009 brought Commons and Lords lower than low. The wriggling since spells continuing dismay. Party political funding drifts in a Sargasso Sea somewhere between Unite Beach and the Cape of Good Ashcroft. Add Byers and Co for complete despair.

Whatever happened to the Committee on Standards in Public Life, you ask? Where, 11 commodious reports later, did all the purity go? In fact, there's a reasonable story to tell on behalf of the committee. There wouldn't be an Electoral Commission, stronger rules on lobbyists or better standards in many areas without it. You can use a checklist to make sure that expense regimes in the next parliament don't ooze away. You can expect something better than the slop of self-serving regulation. You can hope that the prime minister doesn't cover up for colleagues in a jam.

But there is one question without an answer, one problem that stinky stings underline. Where – after all those 16 years – are the committee's own Seven Principles of Public Life, the bedrock that Lord Nolan first carved? Selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership? Ideas and ideals, not just words. And there, in its latest annual report, the committee seems to shrug, a Sysiphus pleading exhaustion.

"Codes of practice achieve very little if they are not supported by effective governance," it says. Expanding the rulebook to deal with every fresh scandal isn't a sustainable approach. We have to ensure that the Seven Principles "are embedded in the culture of our public service institutions and translated into personal values, reinforced in everyday behaviour by systems and processes".

Remember that today as Brown and Cameron compete to offer more and more rules. Remember that in the wasteland of dodgy dossiers and non-dom debate. "Getting it" isn't a quick fix, any more than a letter from the pope. We won't get better – unless we get better. We won't begin to believe again – unless we see something worth believing in.

• MPs' expenses
• Labour
• Conservatives

Scottly Smith recently moved his blog to the Gospel Coalition web site. I've long regarded his site as a bit of a hidden treasure but I suppose it's now less so having moved to a more public location. Nevertheless, his most recent prayer caught my eye as, through it, he reflects on a simple question. This is a worthwhile prayer for any of us, I think.

Dear Lord Jesus, driving into my home state recently, I came upon a billboard that pushed some buttons before it raised my palms. Just through the mountains of North Carolina, there is was, bold and in big red letters, Are You Saved? I’ll be honest, my first response was, “What an un-cool, cost-ineffective, out-of-date, impersonal way to do evangelism.” Then I ruminated, “People that put up highway signs like that are clueless about the gospel. They’re usually legalists and moralists, and have no idea about a theology of imputed righteousness. They’re culturally out-of-touch and don’t realize what a turn-off that kind of signage is.”

But after my momentary-arrogance and billboard-pontification, your Spirit gently disrupted my “cool” with this thought, “You completely avoided the question, Are You Saved?”

I continued driving, but that’s when one palm went up anyway, for indeed, I am saved, Jesus, unabashedly and unashamedly so. And there’s only one reason and there’s only one basis... I have come to God through you. You are the permanent priest who offered the perfect sacrifice for me, once and for all. You completed your work on the cross and you will complete your work in me. You live forever and you forever live to thoroughly save me, and your whole pan-national trans-generational Bride. You were my substitute by your life and your death, and now you’re my righteousness and intercessor before the Father. Am I saved? Most definitely and most delightfully!

I don’t have to like highway billboards, but may I never ever tire of responding to the question, Are You Saved?, for there’s no question more humbling to me and honoring of you. So very Amen, I pray, Jesus, in your merciful and mighty-to-save name.