IAIN Duncan-Smith's demise as leader of the Conservative Party, and the subsequent tardiness of leadership candidates to declare themselves, inevitably prompted speculation that perhaps William Hague would be persuaded to make a comeback.

The Richmond MP has, since his resignation, made it clear that he is busy with other things in his life - writing, speaking, family - while taking care not to rule himself out of high office forever.

With the current state of the Tory party his position has never made more sense - arguably the Conservatives will prove impossible to lead until the Euro issue is finally settled.

For the time being he is happy enough and enjoying life as a back-bench MP and sought-after public speechmaker.

His constituents know what a fine, and at times very funny, public speaker he is. But this week it was revealed that he is among the most in-demand after-dinner speakers in Britain.

According to speakers agency JLA, which has Mr Hague on its books, he is in the A-list of after-dinner speakers, costing between £10,000 and £25,000 a time.

Only the likes of England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, tennis star John McEnroe and actress Lauren Bacall command more.

New use for CDs

BLACK grouse can fly at 70mph but haven't got the manoeuvrability to go with the speed. As a result, many die because they have flown fell-pelt into wire fencing.

Countryside managers (now, what did we used to call that job?) who met on Lord Barnard's Raby estate earlier this month were told that fixing shiny plates to fences could alert the grouse to the imminent peril and save lives in the endangered species, whose last stronghold in England is the North Pennines.

Gardeners have known for some time that those CDs given away with magazines are ideal bird scarers in the vegetable garden. Perhaps they could also help save the black grouse instead of hitting countryside dustbins.

Still the best

The MetroCentre may have been overtaken as the biggest shopping centre in Europe and the UK by other more recent retail wonderlands but it still does some things better than the young pretenders.

Traffic can be problem on the busiest days, of course, but it pales into insignificance with the chaos surrounding Manchester's Trafford Park on a recent Sunday when it took an hour to get in - and an hour to get out.

Although relatively new compared with the MetroCentre, the Manchester centre is unable to cope with the traffic it generates.

SO it's to be Durham and Tees Valley airport, it seems - yet another item on the hidden agenda which aims to make "Tees Valley" familiar enough to warrant promoting as an all-encompassing, Darlington-swallowing local government area no doubt.