Thursday, June 28, 2007

Ming Says Yes to Shirley Who Says Yes to Gordon

Ming Campbell has given his permission to Shirley Williams to act as an adviser to Gordon Brown's government. The decision was necessary as Ming is on Question Time tonight (with Michael Howard, poor Yvette Cooper and Piers Morgan) and he knew he would be asked about it. He's put out this statesment to the Question Time production team.
There will be no Liberal Democrats in Brown’s Government. But I have no objection to and indeed welcome an initiative which results in Liberal Democrats acting in an independent advisory capacity or participating in an independent commission or investigations which make independent recommendations on policy to the Government. The conditions for taking part which must be satisfied are that
participation is not token, there is a proper remit which allows for independent
analysis and conclusions, and that there is a reasonable prospect of their advice being accepted and their conclusions being implemented.
Good, glad that's clear then.

14 comments:

  1. "Ming is on Question Time tonight"

    Oh, that's cheered me up immensely..

    Lovely..

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  2. That's CND defused for Gordon and let's the LibDems rant on about Iran and nuclear weapons

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  3. Ming Campbell will no longer be leader of the Liberal Democrats. Give it a week, he'll be gone.

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  4. Ming is dead in the water. What a lame duck.

    Williams is an utter embarrassment

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  5. Ming and Shirley are more suited to the Antiques Roadshow these days.Not worth much,though..

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  6. "poor Yvette Cooper"?- couldn't she get Ruth Kelly to stand in and suffer the pain for her like she did over H.I.P.'s ?

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  7. This appointment is so silly. But then when you look at what's been going on for the last two days, all of it is just one media circus non-story.

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  8. Government of all the talents?

    Hmm without doubt Shirley W had talent ... but not obvious from her period in derious poltics imo.

    Tokenism

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  9. It is quite clear, you dense git.

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  10. Shirley williams a "talent"?
    Now I know we are all rogered.
    I'm now going to stare at a magnolia wall and be alone with my thoughts

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  11. Brown wants celebrities to populate his government as he goes about bringing an end to the age of celebrity.

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  12. So he's allowing Shirley Williams to do what Alex Carlile has, er, been doing for a few years now.

    The party is sure to collapse.

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  13. Roy Hattersley tells the story of how, when he was first made a Minister, The Times ran his photograph above the caption "Formerly Mrs Shirley Williams". That was a long time ago.

    Yet, knowing that he was going to be asked about it on Question Time, Sir Menzies Campbell had to give permission early this evening for Williams to accept the position offered by Gordon Brown. She was obviously going to take it anyway, so there was nothing that he could do.

    I honestly think that this week has marked the beginning of the end of the Lib Dems, always an unstable coalition.

    The few old SDPers who have not already done so are going home, to the party and government of a PM in what they wish had been the Labour succession: Wilson, Callaghan, Healey, Hattersley, Smith, Brown.

    But almost stereotypical old Liberals like Ashdown, Lester, Garden and Carlile have also been publicly considered for office. What does that say about Ming and his party, that such offers were even being considered, never mind, at least in Ashdown's case, actually made?

    It says that they are finished.

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  14. Sehr geEhrter Iain

    "Poor Yvette Cooper"

    ??? Is this the Mrs Yvette Balls

    * the lady who is now laughing all the way to the Bank with her Cabinet Minister's salary - will she now have her own Chauffeur ???

    * after her un=listening tampering with her ridiculous Home Information Packs, which may well in the Autumn screw up an already fragile Housing Market

    Yr obedt servant etc

    G Eagle

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