KNIVES are being sharpened for a battle of wills between Suffolk county council and Ipswich borough council over the name to be given to the proposed university in the town.

KNIVES are being sharpened for a battle of wills between Suffolk county council and Ipswich borough council over the name to be given to the proposed university in the town.

Councillors in Ipswich will be unhappy if it is not named the University of Ipswich while some county councillors want the borough taken down a peg or two by having Suffolk in the title.

Sensibilities were such that when the county council's executive committee considered an Audit Commission report into the authority's annual performance – which highlighted Suffolk's role in leading negotiations "to provide a university in Ipswich" – the county's chief executive Mike More said he would ensure this was changed to a "university for Suffolk."

The spat would be funny if it weren't so serious. The simple solution is to ban both locations from the title and come up with an alternative. And following the long-established example of Brunel University, why not agree on Wolsey University?

Ipswich's – and therefore by extension Suffolk's – most celebrated son was, to quote Shakespeare's Henry VIII, "a scholar, and a ripe and good one, exceeding wise, fair-spoken, and persuading. He was most princely. Ever witness for him those twins of learning that he rais'd in you, Ipswich, and Oxford."

Since those far off days, Ipswich and Suffolk have fallen by the wayside, languishing as the Audit Commission report cruelly points out with "low academic aspirations linked to restricted access to higher education activities."

The Commission says the university project "is very ambitions and would have a profound impact on educational attainment and economic prosperity."

Wolsey University has quite a ring to it – and is certainly far more attractive than those institutions that will be its rivals for students, the University of Central England-in-Birmingham and the University of Central Lancashire.

IAIN Dale, Conservative Candidate for North Norfolk, has become the

first Conservative parliamentary candidate to enter the world of Internet blogging. A blog (short for weblog) is an online diary, accessible to anyone at anytime. His blog can be found at www.iaindale.blogspot.com and is updated every day. The blog is part of his campaign website www.iaindalefornorthnorfolk.com

Iain says: "A blog is a brilliant way of letting my constituents know

what I am doing. It's not just full of press releases but is meant to

entertain and amuse as well. After only a couple of weeks, my blog is

getting several hundred 'hits' per day and the feedback from North

Norfolk people has been tremendous.

"I'm about to add a comment facility so we can get some really good discussions going – and they won't be censored. Internet campaigning is about to come of age and Conservatives need to be at the forefront of it. I'm going to encourage my fellow candidates to become bloggers too."