Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Bating Ruth Kelly: A Game For All The Family

I used to think that Ruth Kelly was one of the better Labour ministers - that is until she was promoted to the Cabinet. Since then she has proved to be one of the most hapless politicians in living memory. She reminds me of Jeremy Hanley who had been quite a successful Minister of State but when John Major promoted him to the Cabinet he was out of his depth.

Kelly's media appearances are always fun - not because she ever says anything of interest, but to see how much she can say and yet say so little, using as many vacuous New Labour soundbites as possible.

Her interview this morning with Nicky Campbell was a good example. After hearing it you would think Blair and Brown were bosom buddies and all was sweetness and light at the heart of New Labour. Campbell then said sweetly: "The texts and emails are flowing in from listeners as theu always do after an interview with Ruth Kelly." He left us to decide for ourselves why that might be. It's not difficult.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am very disturbed at the way the BBC is putting Ruth Kelly onto the TV in the mornings. Anything more than 2 minutes and she sends me back to sleep and I'm late for work!

Anonymous said...

Kelly, Blears, Blunt, Primorolo are all peas from the same pod - cloned in a GM lab.

It is utterly bizarre that most female Labour Ministers can only get on by being shallow sycophants.

If I was assessing them as employees of mine I would describe them as all having "junior management potential".

Anonymous said...

It's alright Iain. I'm sure she's praying for them. Particularly on Blair's big Dei (or should that be day?) at conference.

Anonymous said...

We only have ourselves to blame for having to endure this diet of vacuous party soundbites. Years of "duffel coat" journalism wherein the smallest detail, the slightest indiscretion or a hint of straightforwardness were blazed across the front pages with headlines shouting "Tory Split" etc. We will only get honesty from politicians when we can accept it honestly, in an adult manner.

Man in a Shed said...

You should have been listening to Radio 4 this morning when the Prince of Darkness was on admitting to us how there was a feud between Blair and Brown (which we were all told was media speculation), but how the business with Cherie's comments was all got up by the media.

He refused to back Brown and went on to talk about how disappointed Brown had been (aka grumpy) not to be leader. (We can talk about that now a distance now exists between the events and now - aka NuLabour needs to put the knife in to stop Gordon.)

Spin anyone ?

Anonymous said...

What time was the interview?

Anonymous said...

Javelin "Kelly, Blears, Blunt, Primorolo are all peas from the same pod - cloned in a GM lab"

Are they part of the Squirrels' plot to take over NeuLabour, und then the World, with assistance from random hamster/s ?

Anonymous said...

She is only as bad as all the rest really. I can think of not a single one who you can say is effective or impressive; Millibland seems to be favourite boy but even then is still pretty useless.

That's probably why Brown will get in.

Tapestry said...

Iain Dale is expanding from being a Conservative blog. Three non-Conservative posts in a row. Next the world.

Scipio said...

F.R. - excellent point! Did you Alastair Campbell on Channel 4 News last night.

I know he is a lying deceitful little toad, and I despise him from the very core of my being, but that doesn't mean that he isn't correct about how the media have changed over the past ten years (mostly because of him and his cronies).

The standards of political journalism have declined, and even though you still have excellent interviewees (John Snow, Paxman, Humphreys, the Bimblebees et al), somehow, the journalism today is all about 'I was told anonymously by a senior minister...blah bla blah). It was interesting to look back at how the BBC dealt with Thatcher's resignation, and see how ,much more 'factual' the reporting was, and less reliant on breifings, counter-briefings, spin, sin and sound-bytes!

Politics has become a bit of soap opera - sadly!

Scipio said...

Peter: The reason she sounds like she is about to burst into tears is because she is wearing iron kickers with spikes inside and is covered by a hair vest, and because just before she goes on air, she sticks forks in her legs - all part of her strange 'drive for piety'!

She is probably praying in Latin in her head in-between sentences to ward off evil too!

But at least the only people Opus Dei try to kill in the name of their religion are themselevs!

Anonymous said...

Iain has a point of course , but I still rather like Ruth Kelly and she is not alone on my not bad list . There is a female ex German MP in Birmingham whose name I can’t recall I was moved to write fan mail to

`If someone who would like to reduce the role of the state , reduce taxes and , if not leave Europe then at least radically reform it can happily sit in the Labour Party the n I `m not sure I couldn’t. In reality however the only way to achieve these aims to the limited extent of the politically possible is to vote Conservative.


Or so I thought? But then I may just have fallen in love with a mysterious woman of intriguingly Teutonic ancestry about to change politics in this country forever


Your Lost in Admiration

Newmania`

What her name anyone

( Quick game of musical chairs with some of the wimps in blue mahap ?)

Anonymous said...

Would you all be talking about Ruth "of course the Government will see the Equitable policy holders all right" Kelly?

Martyn said...

That's the problem with these overpromoted posh kids. Leave them in charge of anything and they balls up.

People who have reached positions of authority from ordinary backgrounds are generally much more competent than say, Old Etonians Aristocrats and their bumbling friends. I doubt very much if Kelly, Cameron or Osborne would be anywhere near goverment if it wasn't for their backgrounds. They're just not up to the job.

Anonymous said...

"People who have reached positions of authority from ordinary backgrounds are generally much more competent than say, Old Etonians Aristocrats and their bumbling friends."

You're right about that - paragons like John Prescott, David Blunkett amd other wonderful NuLab successes, and of course Sir John Major, the most popular Tory Prime Minister ever, clearly demonstrate the superiority of humble birth.

Birth is not a good predictor of a successful politician.

Anonymous said...

Newmania

Are you thinking of Gisela Stuart ?

Anonymous said...

I saw a profile of Ruth Kelly about the time she became education secretary stating that she had made a particularly graceless speech at the Spectator Parliamentary awards (Newcomer to watch 2001). Does anybody have any further details?

Anonymous said...

Ruth Kelly is clearly putting on weight and adopting a very mumsy hairstyle, is this in response to criticism that she is Euan Blair's body double?

Anonymous said...

>Iain has a point of course , >but I still rather like Ruth >Kelly and she is not alone on >my not bad list . There is a >female ex German MP in
>Birmingham whose name I can’t
>recall I was moved to write >fan mail to

Would this be Gisela Stuart? She was the Labour MP charged with negotiating on the EU Constitution, along with (if I remember correctly) David Heathcote-Amery. She originally was quite an EU groupie, but then seemed to change after her experiences over the Constitution, and is now against it - or at least the Giscard version of it.

Anonymous said...

Man of Kent said...
Newmania

Are you thinking of Gisela Stuart ?

1:09 PM

Yes . Thanks its been irritating me ages.Quite amazing how right wing her views appear to be

Scipio said...

Pj - Brilliant!

Martyn, I hate to be rude, but I can't help myself. You sound like a complete tosser! If I was to say something (and actually mean it) like...

"poor people are just such scrotes, they all smell, and are thick, and like footbal instead of cricket, and they are just theives"*.... I would be had up in court. Yet, people can say what they like about rich/posh people, who have to sit by, take the crap on the chin, and accept it.

Why?

Rich or poor - it mkaes no odds, there are good and bad in both camps!

Rise above your prejudice perlease!

PS - I was born on a council estate to a single mum, and I though Eton was a kind of cheese - OK!

Anonymous said...

was born on a council estate to a single mum, and I though Eton was a kind of cheese - OK!

11:30 PM

Got you wrong then didn`t I. See comments on your books

Scipio said...

Newmaina - yep! See my reply.