I must admit I thought it would take the Labour plotters longer than four days into September to create trouble, but Charles Clarke always was like a bull in a china shop. His rantings have been covered extensively elsewhere so I won't say too much more, but I think it is safe to say that the other Labour rebels will now see this as a green light to restart their machinations.One spanner in the works is that I have picked up that Gordon Brown is considering surprising everyone by holding a snap reshuffle on Monday. If he does so, it is a very high risk strategy indeed, seeing as his Chancellor ruled one out last week, and all the signals from Downing Street lately have been that any reshuffle would not take place until after the conferences. A reshuffle next week would give Cabinet Ministers very little time to read into their new subjects before the start of the Labour conference a fortnight later.
The big question, of course, is what he intends doing with the Chancellor and Foreign Secretary. I don't think he is strong enough to move Miliband against his will. And if he moves Darling, or sacks him, I think Darling is unlikely to go quietly.
My opinion is that a reshuffle now would smack of panic and would change very little. I can't really believe that it is being seriously considered by Brown, but seeing as I have been tipped the wink by a good source, it would be remiss of me not to pass it on. Albeit with the risk of huge egg on face come Tuesday morning.
I've said it before and doubtless will have to say it again: it doesn't matter which numpties are moved round the Cabinet table. They're all awful, all responsible for the mess Labour has created and, all of them, need to be kicked out as soon as possible. If Labour want to have debates/fights whatever about who should lead them, their beliefs, what biscuits to eat with their tea, let them - but in opposition please.
ReplyDelete"One spanner in the works is that I have picked up that Gordon Brown is considering surprising everyone by holding a snap reshuffle on Monday"
ReplyDeleteBut how will it be a surprise when it is plastered all over the internet?
cyclefree
ReplyDeleteSpot on, there's not one Labour MP who seems to have one inkling of how to run anything at all.
In any case, Brown has no idea on Cabinet government. Everything is run by him, with his authority and no one elses. Any reshuffle needs to start at the very top.
Good Afternoon Iain.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to invite you and your readers to watch 'Out of Control' now showing on our conference website:
http://www.conference.westbournemouthukip.com/default.htm
The more the Labourites stab each other in the back the better. They are all political dead men(and wimmin) walking.
ReplyDeleteThe bigger the forthcoming Labour implosion the better for the Tories, and the country.
Pass it on? Here's one I heard Iain:
ReplyDeleteThere will be a general election in November 2008
From a cracking source in a constituency not unadjacent to Manchester. It was six weeks ago now. And I didn't share it.
Shifting a few round and/or knifing one or two Clarkeites might be worthwhile. The Conference Arrangements Committee will work round any new portfolio holders. It is only the fringe that might be inconvenienced by any change.
The only re-shuffle required is for Mr. Gordon Brown to be 'shuffled' back to the status of opposition back-bencher.
ReplyDeleteEven better, let him shuffle off back to Scotland, never to darken the doors of the palace of Westminster again.
We need a reshuffle. Ideally Brown could promote David Cameron to PM and reward himself with a move to the Ministry of Wheeling Bins.
ReplyDeleteHmm.. but don't you agree with Matthew Parris that they just don't have the decisive killer instinct to dump him ?? It would take an awful lot of support from the backbenches to fatally wound Gordon's career...
ReplyDeleteIf Brown goes and he surely must then a general election must be called. This country cannot have yet another unelected prime minister, surely this would be a first for the UK? what a dreadful, incompetent, sleazy, dishonest bunch the labour Party are.
ReplyDeleteGo!
No reshuffle as GB will dither as usual.
ReplyDeletethe man who pushed his way in - is getting pushed out - only to push in somebody else.......the mind boggles.
ReplyDeletethis crazy bunch belong in stormont not westminister..
There will be a general election in November 2008
ReplyDeleteIF ONLY!
This should have been a caption contest. My entry:
ReplyDelete"Which pistol would you like Gordon ?"
The great horror is that this crowd of second rate idiots could be in office until late 2010 - just think of the damage they could have done by then !
I doubt there will be a reshuffle, but the government is so dysfunctional if he sacked the entire cabinet, very little would change.
ReplyDelete"In any case, Brown has no idea on Cabinet government. Everything is run by him, with his authority and no one elses. "
ReplyDeleteExcept of course for the delightful and well respected Mr Balls, who does as he pleases.
Balls can't risk the general election disaster and needs a higher profile role before stabbing Brown and Milliband. the Treasury should do nicely, eh Darling?
Milliband 12,312 majority
Balls 10,001 majority
Darling 7242
It's the Cabinet's big day out in the West Midlands on Monday, doesn't seem like a good day to shuffle the pack.
ReplyDeleteEven better, let him shuffle off back to Scotland, never to darken the doors of the palace of Westminster again."
ReplyDeleteNo way Vervet! WE dont want the snotgobbler here either!
In fact, since it was YOU lot of saddos down south who voted beans mob in 3 TIMES IN A ROW, no less, then you are welcome to do what you like with the turd!
We, in Scotland, saw through the cretin ages ago and now have the SNP looking after us very nicely, thank you!
Brownm isnt capable of a snap anything
ReplyDeletePerhaps Brown will reshuffle the numpties out of the door altogether so that he won't have to bother with the charade of cabinet meetings in future.
ReplyDeleteThis will give him more time to rant at typists, chew his nails, chuck hones about, sort out the increasingly large pile of scruffy A4 papers he seems to carry abut with him, wonder what he's going to do with the rest of his sad life, etc., etc...
If he has a reshuffle he will have fired his musket. He will have to resort to the bayonet after that - up close, personal and bloody.
ReplyDeletePity he's not planning a "Snap Election !"
ReplyDeleteIf there is a reshuffle (and I have my doubts) then it will be very much on the fringes. Brown cannot accept that there is a problem with the way he is doing things - to change the cabinet in any significant way would be for him to admit that there is a need for change.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine something along the lines of the merging of the Scottish/Welsh offices - but only tinkering round the edges. That is his way.
IAIN IAIN IAIN - OFF TOPIC I KNOW...
ReplyDeleteBut surely you owe it to your readers to tell us how Nadine 'redneck' Dorries is responding to the hoopla over Sarah Palin..
Surely she is now thinking that the 'Sky is the Limit' for her own UK political career ? Or maybe she is just thinking of moving to Alaska as their Governor !!
I can just see her 'packing heat' and going 'moose hunting'...
Iain,
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe that your informant is correct for the simple reason that it would be suicidal for GB to do so. However, wouldn't it be delightful?
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeletePity he's not planning a "Snap Election !"
Ask Sarah!!.....oooooopops, sorry completely misread that.
It would seem that, so far, I am in a minority of one by believing the rumour to be credible.
ReplyDeleteThe best form of defence is attack.
If Gordo does a McCain (several times over) and brings in more than just one young dynamo into his Cabinet, he may yet produce a Government that the people begin to trust again.
As for the General Election being held in November, Chris Paul, I cannot think of a more insane move. Far too soon if there is a re-shuffle, and if not: too close to Christmas with all of that expense looming, food and fuel bills gone through the roof, lousy weather, jobs being lost.... Either you or your informant are having a laugh or are completely barking mad.
OR, with luck, Gordo actually does it, and I will kiss your arse, Chris Paul, for being the news breaker.
Has there ever been a less popular PM in living memory? Thatcher was hugely unpopular at the end, but surely not as much as Gordo?
Brown? Planning? Planning anything practical rather than political or self advancing? You are kidding aren't you? He does not have truly strategic cell in his brain.
ReplyDeleteThe Times today tells us that the EU has forced brown to scrap his fuel aid plan as the scam he was going to use to pay for it was ruled 'unworkable'
ReplyDeleteWhere was the EU when we really needed them to over-rule all Browns other bonkers unworkable crackbrained schemes?
Brown is currently surrounded by yes men, place men and greasy pole sliders. Its scary to think that the treasury is being excluded from pretty much all financial planning by people who are learly in denial about the real state of the country.
The disaster when it happens will be explosive.
"The best form of defence is attack". That's often true, Morse, but there's little evidence that Macavity has the leadership ability to 'attack' or be as 'bold' as he imagines himself to be; more likely is "I'll just wait here in the bottom of the trench till someone tells me the firing's stopped'.
ReplyDeleteHe should sack Darling because his stupid (& wrong, which is not always the same thing) remarks have produced a run on the £.
ReplyDeleteHe should sack Miliband because that is what PMs do when a colleague tries to oust him.
The problem is he can't do both. Which is rather a shame because they are both useless.
"Anybody goes near my pies gets both barrels."
ReplyDeleteYou mean - is Brown waiting for his orders from Brussels as to the next piece of political theatre he has to carry out, to take everyone's minds off the real news?
ReplyDelete£200 billion lent to banks by BoE, on top of £100 billion Northern Rock fiasco.
Brown would give his soul for a favourable headline just now. He is bust, bust, bust.
ReplyDeleteJust think. The G20 was going to be the re-launch (I know we've had a few of those in the last 18 months, but this was the big, big one - getting some of the Obama magic). What happened? The summit produced sod all, although a fair bit of the media (not just the BBC)suggested otherwise. Then the lawmen were caught beating up the wrong guy (copyright Bowie)and Guido let of his dynamite. Then the budget was a joke and the govermnent is 18/19% behind. And that's before people realise that Darling did not continue the relief for the victims of the abolition of the 10% income tax rate (something which needs broadcasting).
What is so infuriating is that 30 years ago the nation elected a Prime Minister who knew what she had to do and did it. It hurt and it hurt some people a lot more than others. But it had to be done. Now Blair and Brown have blown it and that hurt will have to be repeated. Unnecessarily. They were and are as thick as shit. Any doubt on the subject was always resolved by the side they were on in the early 1980s. If you could think that Michael Foot was the answer you were either mad, stupid or both.