Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Blunkett Says No to Brown

I understand from a senior Labour source that David Blunkett has refused an invitation from Gordon Brown to rejoin the Cabinet for a third time.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

34 comments:

Plato said...

AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

Perhaps Brown should ask his dog instead.

Anonymous said...

Plonkette is anxious that this news should be released.

What does it say?

I was considered good enough to do the job. I turned it down because I am also a politician wise enough to know this government is finished, there is no mileage in taking the job, indeed considerable downside risk to my personal political capital.

And that, at the end of the day, is all I've ever been in this game for.

Anyone got any taxi receipts/

JuliaM said...

He's blind, Iain. Not stupid... ;)

BrianSJ said...

Desperate times, desperate deeds. I understand that sources close to Iain Dale report that he is not interested in the Communities Minister post.

Silent Hunter said...

Blunkett?

BLUNKETT FFS?

My God things must REALLY be bad if they have to resort to asking Blunkett.

As Plato says . . . Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Silent Hunter said...

JuliaM:

No; he's CORRUPT Julia.

His blindness is irrelevant to that fact.

David said...

Maybe this would be a good opportunity to pinch another of DC's policies and reduce the size of Government?

Anonymous said...

I think the biggest question here - which commentators seem to be over-looking - is what job he'll offer Alan Johnson. If he offered him Chancellor or Home Secretary - and he accepted - it would quell the rumours nearly instantly.

Anonymous said...

There is a rumour that the Labour whips have circulated the Gordon Resign now email to smoke out the Rebels! Those who have signed it will look chumps!

Just think how he could find a reason to desect them and the golden goodbye they would loose! Gordon is a sly bugger! All about the money!

DMC said...

We heard it here first.

The BBC has just reported this from this blog.

Alan Douglas said...

In the Land of the Blind, the one-eyed King is mad ....

I second Blunkett's dog

Alan Douglas

Anonymous said...

He truly is desperate, isn't he? I doubt he can appoint a new cabinet. This must be the end.

Anonymous said...

Can't really blame him: as someone said on another blog (Dizzy's I think?) any changes to the Cabinet, is like rearranging the furniture on the Titanic, or, in the case of Blunkett, boarding it.

peterporcupine said...

Thank goodness for that
The Labour Party needs honest people
not crooks
on the make
or the remake

Anonymous said...

Dizzy God bless him has pointed out that the Telegraph must be clearly spinning for Brown.

http://dizzythinks.net/2009/06/is-telegraph-spinning-for-downing.html

The Chipmunk had already made clear the detail about her properties (note the 's') when she flourished her £13k cheque.

So there was nothing else to reveal - except it exposes Porters collusion with No10.

Its mystifying me why other papers are not running spoilers on all of this as the Telegraph must be stealing readers and 'prestige'.

Whatever the telegraph are doing its not being honest and open about its exposures.

Cath said...

can I just say, Iain, your blog makes fine reading today :-)

The Grim Reaper said...

I'm expecting Guido Fawkes to get an invitation to join the cabinet at this rate...

Anonymous said...

Btw: BBC and Sky have the letter circulating in the Labour Rebellion

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/Gordon-Brown-Under-Pressure-Email-Circulating-Among-Labour-MPs-Calling-For-PM-To-Step-Down/Article/200906115295226?f=rss

Gordon Brown said...

Jesus, Gordo must be desperate if he needs two-shags Blunkett back!

At least he has a good excuse if he pleads innocence on his expenses........

Unsworth said...

Even the desperately self-serving and not very clever Blunkett realises that to associate himself with the disaster that is Brown is a sure-fire way to political annihilation.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure many in the Westminster bubble are laughing their socks off at Brown's predicament, but thanks to that Scottish tosser, England is without any form of government - unlike Scotland, Wales and NI, who can all carry on as normal.
The Tories are as much to blame for the way England is being forced to sink in the mire, along with the British government. Who the hell is speaking out on our behalf?

If any English MP with a whiff os spine is reading this - Give us our own parlaiment - now!!!!!!!

Bath plugs for the many, not the few said...

What is it about Labour that they think that disgraced ministers can be considered for reappointment, as if their convictions are somehow spent when the public's goldfish memory has been erased?

Anonymous said...

I can't see it, myself...

Anonymous said...

I just love this picture of the red haired chipmunk on wiki -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipmunk
I can see even more why you labelled her that - I particularly like this bit of information

"Chipmunks play an important role as prey for various predatory mammals and birds, but are also opportunistic predators themselves, particularly with regard to ... " you will have to guess.

Brown should beware chipmunks can be dangerous
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Uaw2CdjU3c&feature=related

I read that chipmunks are alert and fast and can quickly scurry back to their burrow system (known as salfords by naturalists) to escape predators (typically 'weasels').

Alex said...

Brown as PM and Blunkett as Home Secretary?

Wouldn't work. They'd never see eye to eye.

Anonymous said...

It could be interesting to see how many departments are suddenly merged, due to lack of suitable candidates for promotion

VotR said...

If the Old School are turning their backs, Brown might as well fall on his sword on Friday.

What's the point of reshuffling if there is no one willing to be shuffled?

Unknown said...

Dianne Abbot for Foreign Secretary. She can wet her knickers every time she meets Obama.

Oh and how about that political giant Stephen Pound for Chancellor?

A dream team surely.

Gareth said...

If enough people say no to Brown he could resort to enoblement to fill positions. Or he might try and do many of them himself.

Bird said...

Someone told Blunkett, "The one eyed man is king".

The Grim Reaper said...

Anonymous said "It could be interesting to see how many departments are suddenly merged, due to lack of suitable candidates for promotion."

The Home & Foreign Office Department for Communities, Local Government,
Transport, Health, Defence, International Development, Children, Schools, Families and Government Propaganda at the Treasury in Downing Street, anyone?

JW said...

If Brown can't form a government due to insufficcient people prepared to sit around the cabinet table he will have to visit HMQ to tender his resignation.

Having said that I'm up for being Home Seccy for £145K and a peerage.

Gongdonkey said...

He is blind - but even this twice disgraced man can "see the writing on the wall" !
Given the shite he left in Sheffield, that's the best service he's ever done for the country.

Victor, NW Kent said...

Blunkett snubs him and does Reid. Despite that Brown is not without cabinet possibilities. There is Peter Hain, Alun Michael, Frank Dobson, Gerald Kaufman, Geoffrey Robinson.