When will Clegg's Lib Dems be told if there are any posts for them in the Conservative Government's reshuffle?
IIRC the coalition agreement gives the Lib Dems a specific number of jobs, so they can only be given any new ones if a current Lib Dem is replaced by a Tory.
Rumours are that we're about to have the first ever female defence secretary. Could it be Esther McVey? She would put the fear of death in me anyway!
Anna Soubry is already minister for welfare and veterans in the MOD (first female MOD minister incidentally). Would think likely that Defence brief will be a promotion from within.
It's like Cameron took all the Cabinet ministers I could vaguely tolerate and culled them all. Just when I was thinking that Labour hadn't done enough to deserve my vote Cameron decides to lurch to the right and forces me to vote Labour to get rid of the tea party nutcases.
Well apparantely Ken's 'old job' involved him spending 2 days bird watching last week.I think she's up for a slightly bigger challenge somehow...
IIRC the coalition agreement gives the Lib Dems a specific number of jobs, so they can only be given any new ones if a current Lib Dem is replaced by a Tory.
Yes quite.
Poor old "Two Brains" Willetts suffered from the same sort of hype that once afflicted John Moore but he was also reasonably likeable. He was damned for having merely one largish brain and a pleasant if damp demeanour.
Hague, with whom I disagree on nearly everything and who always carries that air of "is there something we should know?" is actually a sad loss. From that moment of awfulness at the Tory Party conference 1977 and onto the baseball cap and Carnival, it seemed impossible to warm to him but actually I did. In the last few years, he seemed fairly decent by the standards of people in that sort of political position and sufficiently mature. That is how I will continue to think about him unless ever proven otherwise by newspaper journalists who write in the tabloids.
But it was clear from his Twitter page this year that his heart just wasn't in it. I read it daily and many weeks went past without any commentary at all on the Ukraine situation. It was all about Angelina Jolie who has very important causes that should not in any way be underestimated but it did seem odd. Only the Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary had less to say than him about international affairs and he never says anything. Now we hear that he has been writing paperbacks in his spare time when Foreign Secretaries should not ordinarily think they have any. I wish him well as the Leader of the House of the Commons. He can relax there until becoming a full time author.
So has smith defied Cameron again then? Cameron should have moved him when he wanted to a while ago. The man is incompetent, a liar and vindictive in the extreme. Even rebukes for misusing statistics and making claims that didn't exist is not enough to stop him. Not to mention the amount of money he's wasted. Same for Gove for that matter, raiding other budgets to keep his wagon on the rails. Old chums act more important than ability it seems. One can only hope tomorrow brings forth some good news for the country.
When will Clegg's Lib Dems be told if there are any posts for them in the Conservative Government's reshuffle?
Clegg has postponed his reshuffle until the autumn - so all the Lib Dem ministers will remain exactly where they are. Given that in 12 months half of them will be on the dole they need to build up their CVs.l
So, is May staying or going? I don't wish to be unkind, but she appears to look rather drained these days, and seems to be stooping quite badly. Pressure of the job?
So, is May staying or going? I don't wish to be unkind, but she appears to look rather drained these days, and seems to be stooping quite badly. Pressure of the job?
Clegg has postponed his reshuffle until the autumn - so all the Lib Dem ministers will remain exactly where they are. Given that in 12 months half of them will be on the dole they need to build up their CVs.l
This is a purely Tory event.
Thanks for that - I didn't know Clegg was postponing it.
The bicycling baronet is no great loss and nor is Ken Clarke now. The former always seemed supercilious to me and the latter, while ok, never really wowed in any of his Ministerial posts. Will he become the Father of the House after 2015? If so, fair enough and good luck to him. I wouldn't know what David Jones looks or sounds like and the same is true of Hugh Robertson and Andrew Robathan so their going is no surprise. The news about Green, Barker, Duncan and probably Paterson is no surprise either but I didn't expect Hurd to step down. The uninviting millionaire Phil Hammond continues to be the best bet whenever the leadership can't think of any really suitable candidates.
Will Dominic Grieve be the new Butler-Sloss? It would divide opinion and be extremely unpopular in some quarters but it could also make a bit of sense. He has ability and the lawyer aspects of him override the Establishment bit. In fact, they override every other aspect of his character. He is nothing but a lawyer - that is, other than, alas, an MP.
Have they got any women candidates? If not they can't have any jobs.
A good question.
Britain is an all or nothing sort of place, isn't it. One minute, no one can make a significant decision unless they are white, male and nearly 70. The next it is totally the opposite. It didn't used to be so. It only really started with the dangerous dogs legislation - but fortunately there is one theme that continues. Everyone in charge has to have more money than is good for them. There is no reason why Lib Dem women shouldn't have the millions required.
Me too. I'd have thought he'd have seen it through to the GE what with him being a big name in the party. A reshuffle of the lesser known faces wouldn't raise eyebrows, start rumours and get the opposition excited anything like this move does.
So, is May staying or going? I don't wish to be unkind, but she appears to look rather drained these days, and seems to be stooping quite badly. Pressure of the job?
Being Home Secretary must be one of the most draining jobs in government. Every time the phone rings you know it is going to be bad news.
I so want IDS and Gove to go, but that was never going to happen, gutless Cameron! Well, I guess he has shown us often enough what great judgement of character he has!
Comments
Headline writers will be pleased.
IIRC the coalition agreement gives the Lib Dems a specific number of jobs, so they can only be given any new ones if a current Lib Dem is replaced by a Tory.
Well apparantely Ken's 'old job' involved him spending 2 days bird watching last week.I think she's up for a slightly bigger challenge somehow...
Some places would probably embrace him with open arms.
He also spent a few days at the cricket in Nottingham.
Looks like they've decided to use tanks to cull the badgers then!
Or maybe Anna Soubry - even less subtle. She would probably shock a lot of squaddies with her mouth.
Yes quite.
Poor old "Two Brains" Willetts suffered from the same sort of hype that once afflicted John Moore but he was also reasonably likeable. He was damned for having merely one largish brain and a pleasant if damp demeanour.
Hague, with whom I disagree on nearly everything and who always carries that air of "is there something we should know?" is actually a sad loss. From that moment of awfulness at the Tory Party conference 1977 and onto the baseball cap and Carnival, it seemed impossible to warm to him but actually I did. In the last few years, he seemed fairly decent by the standards of people in that sort of political position and sufficiently mature. That is how I will continue to think about him unless ever proven otherwise by newspaper journalists who write in the tabloids.
But it was clear from his Twitter page this year that his heart just wasn't in it. I read it daily and many weeks went past without any commentary at all on the Ukraine situation. It was all about Angelina Jolie who has very important causes that should not in any way be underestimated but it did seem odd. Only the Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary had less to say than him about international affairs and he never says anything. Now we hear that he has been writing paperbacks in his spare time when Foreign Secretaries should not ordinarily think they have any. I wish him well as the Leader of the House of the Commons. He can relax there until becoming a full time author.
ISIS?
Clegg has postponed his reshuffle until the autumn - so all the Lib Dem ministers will remain exactly where they are. Given that in 12 months half of them will be on the dole they need to build up their CVs.l
This is a purely Tory event.
She is a woman and I would assume she is staying.
Thanks for that - I didn't know Clegg was postponing it.
The bicycling baronet is no great loss and nor is Ken Clarke now. The former always seemed supercilious to me and the latter, while ok, never really wowed in any of his Ministerial posts. Will he become the Father of the House after 2015? If so, fair enough and good luck to him. I wouldn't know what David Jones looks or sounds like and the same is true of Hugh Robertson and Andrew Robathan so their going is no surprise. The news about Green, Barker, Duncan and probably Paterson is no surprise either but I didn't expect Hurd to step down. The uninviting millionaire Phil Hammond continues to be the best bet whenever the leadership can't think of any really suitable candidates.
Will Dominic Grieve be the new Butler-Sloss? It would divide opinion and be extremely unpopular in some quarters but it could also make a bit of sense. He has ability and the lawyer aspects of him override the Establishment bit. In fact, they override every other aspect of his character. He is nothing but a lawyer - that is, other than, alas, an MP.
Have they got any women candidates? If not they can't have any jobs.
A good question.
Britain is an all or nothing sort of place, isn't it. One minute, no one can make a significant decision unless they are white, male and nearly 70. The next it is totally the opposite. It didn't used to be so. It only really started with the dangerous dogs legislation - but fortunately there is one theme that continues. Everyone in charge has to have more money than is good for them. There is no reason why Lib Dem women shouldn't have the millions required.
Me too. I'd have thought he'd have seen it through to the GE what with him being a big name in the party. A reshuffle of the lesser known faces wouldn't raise eyebrows, start rumours and get the opposition excited anything like this move does.
Do we know why he's going/gone?
Being Home Secretary must be one of the most draining jobs in government. Every time the phone rings you know it is going to be bad news.
She was also diagnosed with diabetes last year which can't have helped: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2380142/My-shocking-illness-Home-Secretary-Theresa-May-reveals-Type-1-diabetes-needs-daily-injections--vows-continue-political-career.html