Thursday, January 24, 2008

Will Brown Create a Devolved Department?

Following Peter hain's resignation there will now be a reshuffle. I shall now fly a kite. There is no other Welsh Cabinet Minister who could take on that position. Indeed, there is only one Welsh Minister of State who could be promoted, and I can't see Kim Howells in the Cabinet, somehow.

I wonder therefore whether the PM will now create a new Government Department, the Department for Devolved Government, covering Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This would give Brown the added bonus of being able to sack Shaun Woodward, something I am told he would, as Kevin Keegan might say, 'love it' if he could do. Dizzy had evidence of this HERE.

One possibility would be to carry out a wider ranging reshuffle, which would be sold as "freshening up" his six month tired old administration. He could move Des Browne to the new devolved job, and bring in a new Secretary of State for Defence as well as a new Work and Pensions Secretary. Looking through the Ministers of State, Liam Byrne, Caroline Flint, Ben Bradshaw, Tony McNulty and Phil Woolas would appear to be the frontrunners for promotion. That's put a black spot on them, then!

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

No way should they have develoved department Scots and Welsh need a voice. Stop putting forward your narrow English agenda.

Miss Wagstaff said...

I heard the news while watching tv during my lunch break - "Peter Hain has just resigned as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions". Nothing was said about his other [minor] role as Secretary of State for Wales. Trust me to have watched Channel 4 News.

I'm wondering if Hain could've saved his reputation if he had made this gesture sooner.

zendo said...

I somewhat agree with anonymous.
Scots need a voice, perhaps, but we are doing awfully well with the SNP administration. Just think, Council Tax, Police Pay etc.
I rest my case! :)

Anonymous said...

As per the first comment, the Scots would go bezerk at the removal of their own Cabinet Minister. And the chances of Brown having the balls (ahem) to stand up to the national inferiority complex north of the border, particularly given the current state of the Scottish Parliament?

Don't make me laugh.

Miss Wagstaff said...

A devolved department will only open up more criticism from Scottish and Welsh Nationalists. I doubt if Brown would make that mistake... or would he?

Iain Dale said...

Anonymous 1.14. Er, they have their own parliaments or assemblies. It's nothing to do with a narrow English agenda.

Anonymous said...

1:14 The english have numerous cabinet ministers. Maybe they should just get one.

Anonymous said...

The Scots and Welsh need a voice!

Thats right, forget about us, do you guys even KNOW NI is part of the UNION ?

What about our voice??

Sheeh!!

Brian said...

Why not be really imaginative, accept the true situation and create a Secretary of State for England to champion the minority partner in the Union instead. There is no longer any justification for having Secretaries of State for the other nations other than to assuage their unnecessary inferiority complexes. The Celtic tail wags the English dog all too well.

Anonymous said...

England has a queen.

Anonymous said...

Actually you could just put David Hanson in, who would be up to the DWP job and represents a Welsh seat, though he isn't Welsh himself.

Anonymous said...

Following Peter hain's resignation there will now be a reshuffle. I shall now fly a kite. There is no other Welsh Cabinet Minister who could take on that position. Indeed, there is only one Welsh Minister of State who could be promoted, and I can't see Kim Howells in the Cabinet, somehow.

Iain - you seem to be forgetting David Hanson, Minister of State for Justice. Low-profile, safe pair of hands etc. Former PPS to Tony Blair but not seen as uber-Blairite.

Yak40 said...

A reshuffle won't mean anything, there isn't one single minister with anything above a minimal competence, if that much.

Anonymous said...

I live in Scotland and I don't want a Secretary of State for Scotland (echoes of Colonial Government).

I would prefer Brown to actually meet Alex Salmond on a regular basis to discuss relation between Holyrood and Westminster. They might reach common ground on some matters,and agree to differ on others,but at least it would be a grown-up attitude to the changed political scene in the UK.

But as we know Brown will not indulge in any debates/meetings with people unless he thinks he can dominate them. So no chance of my preference being adopted.

Michael Shilliday said...

It's probably unlikley that the Northern Ireland Office will be merged before the devolution of policing and justice.

Anonymous said...

Anon wrote:-

would prefer Brown to actually meet Alex Salmond on a regular basis to discuss relation between Holyrood and Westminster."

Get real, anon!

You and I know that bean does not "do" "discuss" with the SNP.

He detests them for he knows that, if they win, his position vis a vis the sassenachs will be untenable!

Also, his (lack of) upbringing means he does not possess the normal considerations for others-also his boorishness and third rate (or lack of) manners mean that he will never sit down with the first rate (in all departments) Mr Salmond.

No.Bean will continue to confront the Scottish parliament using an intermediary(The Scottish office) rather than face to face confrontation with these whom he detests.

Remember, Anon, we are NOT dealing with "normal" politicians here. We are dealing with bigoted, dyed in the wool nulabourites, with all their neanderthal attributes-witness the daily displays of animosity at Holyrood!

Not a pretty sight-unfortunately, with the potential of the whole civilised world looking on, one cringes as to what image others are getting of Scots! Thank god for Alex Salmond and the SNP-a light in the political darkness which has been Scotland for the last generation!

Anonymous said...

Iain, someone on bbc news 24 mentioned earlier, that the government has reached its limit for paid cabinet ministers, and apparently that means that the Secretary of State for Wales will have to be an unpaid job. Is this true?