The FOX hunting season seems to have started again. Dizzy speculates HERE about a future Conservative front bench reshuffle. It's clear that when Gordon Brown (for it is he) creates his Cabinet David Cameron will want to refashion his own front bench team. Between now and then the whole of the Conservative Westminster village will indulge in its favourite parlour game and speculate on who's in, who's out, who's up, who's down, safe in the knowledge that everyone will be wrong.
When he does conduct a reshuffle I hope David Cameron will goive some real thought to career progression and make appointments based on which jobs the particular individuals would be most suited to in government. Too often politicians are put in the wrong jobs, purely because there is a gap that needs to be filled. So far David Cameron has avoided the temptation of many party leaders to reshuffle his team to often. Indeed, in 18 months he hasn't reshuffled his Shadow Cabinet at all.
We all know who the good performers have been and those who haven't. The ConservativeHome monthly tracking poll gives a reasonable indication of this. There's no doubt that when the time comes, probably in early July, Cameron needs to choose the right team to fight the next two years up to the election. My suspicion is that there will be some radical changes and a lot of new blood brought in. Let's hope there won't be too much left on the carpet.
If , in the assumed Cameron front-bench re-shuffle, Liam Fox is given a non-job, i'd expect him to resign and speak up for the party membership on the direction of the party, and country. Just in-case anything goes badly wrong! The current Greg Dyke for London debacle raises serious questions about Cameron's competence.
ReplyDeleteThe obvious underperformer has been Fox - he's just too obviously very stupid.
ReplyDeleteOsborne has had a few good hits - but they all came from outside. The Times campaigned on the pensions things but he himself has done nothing.
I think Chairman would be a good role for him and I'd like to see someone really serious of the stature of Cable (who always gets good overage and is respected) come in as Shadow Chancellor - I don't know who I'd trust with my job at the moment. Willetts is the obvious choice, but Hague maybe?
Simon - Agreed, all the way.
ReplyDeleteLet us hope that even someone as dim, self-obsessed and ever-so-trendy has the sense to bring Patrick Mercer, a man of serious accomplishment, back in.
The ConservativeHome tracking poll shows little more than the underlying preferences of the ConservativeHome readership. A significant chunk of the respondents would not approve of the performance of Maude and May even if they were knocking spots off Labour.
ReplyDelete"will goive some real thought" - a typo, or some subtly subliminal suggestion for someone whose name begins with 'm'..
ReplyDeleteEr, sorry, isn't Vince Cable a LibDem?
ReplyDeleteThe key posting will be the shadow chancellor. It's pretty clear to me Brown will never appoint as chancellor someone who could conceivably steal his thunder and in time even mount a leadership bid, so he'll choose some plodding non-entity like Des Browne or an uninspired performer like Jack Straw.
ReplyDeleteSo a fierce and capable shadow chancellor would tear into whoever Brown's successor is.
Imagine someone like Willian Hague (who was highlighting the pensions issue some ten years ago, IIRC) or, dream of dreams, Ken Clarke, savaging the Labour front-bench. Pity both those names have ruled themselves out.
Ken Clarke back on the Tory front-bench, now THAT would be a coup for Cameron and allow him to put the Dkye fiasco behind him.
I just want Mad Maude to go.
ReplyDeleteNot bothered that much about the rest.
Although, get Justine Greening on telly more - she is HOT!
(as it's not guidos blog, I won't get any more vulgar than that)
I'm rooting for:
ReplyDeleteBoris
Jeremy Hunt
George Osborne
Theresa May
And David Davis
Clever and charismatic figures like Boris are essential to humanise the inhuman face of parties and politics and the ranks of nodding apparatchiks.
Jeremy Hunt is a shining example of what a constituency MP should be. He's earned huge respect among the broad constituency of UK people with disabilities too because he's aware of the issues, works so damn hard on our behalf and always listens to us.
George Osborne is so damn clever, I believe he will be a great Chancellor. Unlike Broon, he's grounded in the real world. He acutely understands the extent of the damage and demoralisation that's been inflicted by nulab on hard working people and on the 4.4 million SMEs which are at the heart of our economy
Amazed to find that I have a soft spot for David Davies. Me? rooting for Davies..! I can't believe it, but, despite myself, I do think he's just the right person to
re-establish desperately need law and order, due process and civil liberties to our country. Even the most liberal of Socialists are shocked by the extent of the breakdown of law and order and and attacks on our freedom in UK.
Auntie Flo'
Why would the Boy King want to reshuffle anything? The old Etonian quota is quite sufficient.
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to curry favour with Iain here but isn't David Davis the obvious candidate for Shadow Chancellor? He's a former chairman of the Public Accounts Committee and has excelled in the Home Office brief. Also Cameron ought to be sufficiently secure in the leadership by now to know that DD no longer poses a threat.
ReplyDelete"We all know who the good performers have been and those who haven't. The ConservativeHome monthly tracking poll gives a reasonable indication of this."
ReplyDeleteIs it the 1st of the month?
"Cameron ought to be sufficiently secure in the leadership by now to know that DD no longer poses a threat."
ReplyDeleteI would agree that DD no longer poses a threat to David Cameron's leadership. But I would add that Cameron is more insecure now than he's ever been since he took over as leader. And so he should be. Because when Blair steps down Mr Cameron will lose one of his closest allies.
Well said,Daily Pundit!
ReplyDeleteGordon Brown will appoint Alister Darling to be his replacement as Chancellor. Darling will be the Norman Larmont to Brown's John Major.
ReplyDeleteAs for Fox, if Cameron gets rid of him, Fox will become the next Michael Hestletine and dethrone the boy Dave. If that happened Fox and Davis would back Hague in the second round as the Stop Osborne candidate. Hague would win the leadership for second time and go on to win the next general election with an 80-150 seat majority.
Amazed to find that I have a soft spot for David Davies. Me? rooting for Davies..! I can't believe it, but, despite myself, I do think he's just the right person to
ReplyDeletere-establish desperately need law and order
Why would you want a Welsh MP for that job....why not David Davis instead ?
C4 - That could work.
ReplyDeletePaul Linford,
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt Davis is doing a great job as Home Sec and that is why he should stay there, huge problems, it is a massive brief, although Labour are threatening to cut it down he is competet enough to attack this.
Moreover, Brown will bring in another new person to Home sec, by this time Davis will be incredibley experienced at it, and will know his way around the issues!
And noway will Osborne be moved, I dont think there is any point discussing it
Spectator said:
ReplyDeleteWhy would you want a Welsh MP for that job....why not David Davis instead ?
Well said, Spectator, thank you for correcting my gibberish - and apologies to David Davis :)
Auntie Flo'
Where will Tim Montgomerie get all his off-the-record briefings from a 'senior Shadow Cabinet member' from if the Doctor gets the push?
ReplyDeleteWhile it's always fun to play Fantasy Shadow Cabinet, I don't think any forthcoming reshuffle will feature too many major changes and the big three are probably safe - Osborne as co-architect of the 'proceeds of growth', Davis as arguably the strongest performer in the Shadow Cabinet and Hague because he's Hague. Maude and the Doctor might need to clear their desks though.
bham uni cf
ReplyDeleteIf NuLab split the Home Office into a Min of Justice and Min for Homeland Security, DD will end up shadowing a smaller department. Because this would be (a) a demotion by default, and (b) a waste of his talents, it would therefore make even more sense for Cameron to promote him to Shadow Chancellor.
Clearly,given the mayoral fiasco with Dyke they must be people who can be trusted not to do sordid underhand deals with non Conservatives.
ReplyDeleteAll that waffle at hustings is now coming home to roost.
How many other sleazy deals have been done that the membership don't yet know about?
Shailesh Vara and Jeremy Hunto should go into the Shadow Cabinet - obth real people and as far removed from the bumbling Boris toff as possible. The only person who can't see that this ridiculous buffoon is - a fat, ugly, buffoon, bearing an excellent resemblance to a boiled pig is -- Petsy Wyatt. Says it all.
ReplyDeletePS does he wash?