Thursday, January 08, 2009

Clegg Shuffles His Deck

Just as I am in the middle of writing a blogpost about a Tory reshuffle, Nick Clegg announces that he's reshuffled his own front bench team. Full details are HERE. It's not exactly knicker gripping stuff. Susamn Kramer has left the front bench to campaign to keep her seat to lead the party's campaign against expansion at Heathrow.

Simon Hughes is given the key job of Energu & Climate Change, while Steve Webb goes back to his comfort zone of Work & Pensions. The bearded David Heath will shadow Harriet Harman while the affable David Howarth takes on Justice. Jenny Willott joins Clegg's top team as Cabinet Office spokesman, while Lynn Featherstone has been appointed chairman of the New Technology Board, which will oversee the party's online operations.

That is a missed opportunity. Featherstone should be one of the LibDems' most high profile spokespeople and it is a mystery why Nick Clegg can't recognise that.

I'll be writing about a Tory reshuffle later.

17 comments:

Julian Meteor said...

Tory reshuffle!!!!!!! lmao

Sounds DIRTY!!!!!!! rofl

Dungeekin said...

In terms of public awareness, I would say 'Shadow' is singularly apt in the case of the Limp-Dumb Cabinet.

I doubt the Electorate at large will even notice.

D

Chris Paul said...

Can you explain why you feel Lynne Featherstone should be promoted Iain?

You also seem to think that Nadine Dorries should be destined for great things. You could explain that while you're about it.

Unknown said...

Jenny Willott has moved from Work and Pennsions to the Duchy of Lancaster thingy - get your facts right!

Chris Paul said...

PS What is knicker gripping?

Anonymous said...

Speaking personally I dont agree about Lynne Featherstone; all in all, since it includes a campaigning brief I think it is a good move.

My main personal dissappointment is no return for CK because I was rather persuaded by the aruguments for it on LDV...

Ken Clarke will come back is my prediction of the day and sadly that will overshadow this news.

Old Holborn said...

Didn't Lynne Featherstone ring 999 because her central heating was playing up?

Stupid cow.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Andy said...

Iain seems to have a thing for odd ladies of a certain age - Featherstone, Blears, Dorries....most odd.

Anyway, when Clegg announces his "team for the next General Election" isn't he a hostage to fortune if we wait a year or more for the election and he realises that some of his cabinet folk are lame or even sh!t munchers?

Boomer or Buster? said...

Ms Featherstone's fortune in the higher echelons of the LibDems may be (not overtly) related to her Jewish background, and possible incompatibility with the "new" anti-Zionist positioning promulgated by Clegg, and evidenced by Teather.

................................. said...

Clegg sees Featherstone as a threat.

Aside from that, this post is a bit beardist, don't you think?

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Victor, NW Kent said...

Just so long as Lynn Featherstone's portfolio does not include advanced technology like gas boilers.
I encountered the same problem - switched the boiler off - called the plumber. She called the Fire Brigade. But she is quite a nice lady so good luck to her.

WV "cation". What happened to "Edu"?

jailhouselawyer said...

I don't think it matters how many times the LibDems shuffle the pack, we will still be dealt all of the jokers.

Malcolm Redfellow said...

What a wonderful day!

1. I lost my keys and had to spend the afternoon revisiting the odd pub or so to be reunited with them (What an excuse! But, then, one of the pubs had Young's Special.)

2. Beverley Flynn (don't worry: it's an Irish reference) was dished. With good reason. It added to my good cheer.

3. A UFO (an UFO?) sliced up a windmill.

4. A Boeing flew on algae-fuel.

5. "Featherstone should be one of the LibDems' most high profile spokespeople and it is a mystery why Nick Clegg can't recognise that."

Two of those stories are credible. The others are -- shall we say -- "improving on the actualité". I can warrant for the first. Pick the bones out of the rest.

"Chairman of the New Technology Board" sounds impressive, responsible, even enterprising, if a bit chauvinistic and bureaucratic. So, what does it mean? Ms Featherstone defines it as: "a good match between me and the need for a non-geek, non-nerdy human being to lead the way (vital and lovable though geeks and nerds are!)." How unfluffy and non-chick-lit of her.

neil craig said...

Could be the party's online operations really nedd somebody competent. Online is vital in a party whose active membership in many seats barely reaches plural figures, if you include the member's pet dog

neil craig said...

Could be the party's online operations really nedd somebody competent. Online is vital in a party whose active membership in many seats barely reaches plural figures, if you include the member's pet dog