Jackie Ashley's Guardian column today urges David Cameron to pick a team which the country will relate to rather than have a Shadow Cabinet in his own image. She's right. She urges him to bring back Ken Clarke, David Davis, promote Damian Green to the top table and also promote Jeremy Hunt.
There's no doubt about it: Cameron could win Tory MPs' plaudits and make himself feel more secure by forgetting the blunt-spoken big beasts of the old days, and instead promoting more people like himself. He would certainly like a good phalanx of loyal, if anonymous, Eurosceptic modernisers around him.
So let's look at a little history. Eight years ago, in February 2000, the opposition leader, William Hague, caught everyone by surprise with a snap reshuffle that moved the party to the right. John Redwood went out, it's true, but in came the then rightwinger Michael Portillo - giving Hague a top team dominated by him, Hague's friend and fundraiser Michael Ashcroft, Ann Widdecombe and Francis Maude. It was impeccably Hague-ite. It was also a disaster, followed by defeat at the general election and Hague's resignation.
Tony Blair, who won that election, went on to have his own reshuffle in 2003, which was almost as politically clear-cut. It was a purge of Brownites and leftwingers and a victory for reliable, loyal Blairites, such as his friend Lord Falconer, who headed the new Department for Constitutional Affairs.
It was also, by common consent, the worst reshuffle of the Blair years, a terrible botch which damaged his reputation.
Read the whole article HERE. Whisper it, but she's onto something.
13 comments:
Yes Cameron should do what he feels is right!
It is interesting this hastily convened jobs summit that Brown has contrived for today! Plus the Milburn returns articles over the weekend! James Purnell on Radio 4 was truely pathetic and much of what he said was a reannouncement of things Labour have previously presented to the public. Labour have delivered nothing to the unemployed other than economic failure - take it from me I know!
Labour clearly are trying to overshadow any potential Cameron reshuffle which means Labour are in total panick and doing the headless chicken! Why the need to try and block media couverage out of the tories unless Labour have nothing to offer and the tories are setting the agenda?
Me thinks he should make Grant Shapps Party Chairman.
As has been proved in the past Grant is a very prodessional campaigner and even in his own constituency collated over 20,000 e mail addresses of constituents of Welwyn Hatfield between narrowly missing out to Melanie Johnson in 2001 and beating her in 2005.
Now who was it who said we should take the fight to the Internet?
I'd dispute that Hague's shadow cabinet was a disaster. He held the line and even made modest progress against the most successful political movement of our age at the peak of its powers.
(He paid a high personal cost; to this day he believes that the problem was 'him' and that is the reason he is still semi-detached from front line politics.)
The real problem with Cameron's cabinet is Cameron. Yesterday in the Times he was saying sorry for holding on to his 'sharing the proceeds of growth' mantra long after it had become untenable. Also yesterday he was insisting that there will be no net cuts in government spending; that the state will continue to get bigger no matter how badly taxpayers suffer. The man is totally out of touch with popular opinion.
What is the point of 'de-toxing' the Conservative brand if you're incapable of using it to promote Conservative policies once you've done that.
Yes I was just checking who got the biggest Labour to Tory swing as Shapps came second and went onto the Wiki election 2005 site.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_general_election,_2005
It is just a small thing but why do Liberal Democrats (I am assuming it is them!) Mess around with picture sizes of the leaders etc. This is why i hate Liberal Democrats, how utterly pointless and pathetic! The LD's being the third party have a bigger picture than the second placed Tories! When i see stuff like this i think:
LD LD LD - Out Out Out!
Matthew Taylor reckons that people will be better off in 2009 and it's enough to make the Conservatives nervous: http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/politics/why-the-conservatives-may-be-nervous-most-of-us-will-be-better-off-in-2009/
Trouble is all the quality Tory "big beasts" our outside the shaddow cabinet
i'm already missing your blog martin day.
John Redwood is playing a blinder at the moment, with his blog and recent article on the economy. Cameron should get him back on board PDQ
I doubt that Jackie Ashley has offered this opinion with any idea that the Tories would gain by it. Quite the reverse.
Is that Jackie Ashley also Mrs. Andrew Marr?
The Penguin
Sorry Geoffrey!
I axed it because there was just too much material to put on it! I would have ended up doing it and it being a full time job!
Maybe I will resurrect it nearer the election!
jolly great idea martin.
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