David Abrahams at South Shields' Labour dinner

One interesting footnote to my day with David Miliband on Friday was the appearance of David Abrahams at the South Shields Labour Party annual dinner.

Mr Abrahams caused Labour some tricky times by donating money to the party via friends and employees rather than directly.

He was eventually cleared of any wrong-doing and the whole affair did not lead to any prosecutions.

You'll remember I interviewed Mr Abrahams after he was exonerated, in which he spoke about his anger at being depicted as an "oddball" with an agenda, when in fact this was all about his desire for privacy and his commitment to the Labour cause.

Certainly the Newcastle businessman gained nothing personally from his donations.

And clearly Labour bears no grudges, as on Friday night David Abrahams was sat on the Foreign Secretary's table next to Mr Miliband.
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The Moss Week:
Reading: Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin - Barack Obama was extremely influenced by this book which shows how Lincoln unexpectedly won the Presidency and then persuaded his rivals to serve in his administration. Echoes of him bringing Hilary Clinton on side.

Listening to: The '59 Sound by The Gaslight Anthem. Springsteen-influenced rock band from New Jersey. Blue collar tales of the States with plenty of guitars turned up to 11.

Will be watching: Dispatches on Channel 4 tomorrow to see secret filming of North Tyneside MP Stephen Byers apparently offering to influence government policy for a payment. He denies any wrongdoing.

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