Frank Field is a great parliamentarian. He's an original thinker. He may not share my politics, but he commands huge respect from people all over the political spectrum. BevaniteEllie and her ilk are not fit to tie his shoelaces.
I cannot say I am a fan of appointing politicians from other parties in to ministerial office, but if David Cameron chose to offer Frank Field a job, I suspect there wouldn't be many of us who would demur.
And if a tory MP pulled that stunt you'd be fine with it?
ReplyDeleteThat the wetbot BevaniteEllie wants rid to me just adds to his kudos.
ReplyDeleteIf Cameron was to offer Mr Field a job involving reforming the entire Social Security system, that included the power to wipe the slate clean in terms of how it's set-up?
ReplyDeleteWell, I may be convinced he has good judgement after all!
If not however...
Jimmy, us Tories are generally meritocratic by nature...if you're good enough, you're good enough. And Field is excellent. Perhaps he could finally be allowed to do the job on Work an Pensions he never got to complete a decade ago. He's a shining example to all politicians, whatever their party.
ReplyDeleteI don't wish to be rude, but doesn't BevaniteEllie look to be an insufferably arrogant person who is far too pleased with herself?
ReplyDeleteA great shame that Frank Field is not the current Speaker. At PMQs he would surely have relished the opportunity to say "The Prime Minister must answer the question"
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but Frank Field is a plonker.
ReplyDeleteNot only is he refusing to pay back his pork. You know the scenario. I didn't break the rules.
On top of that, he's actually financial incompetent.
FF thinks that the government plan is to halve the debt in 4 years, not halve the deficit and put billions on the debt figure.
i.e. 90 billion for halving the debt, 46 billion in extra debt payments, each and every year.
What cuts will labour make to achieve 136 billion?
What tax rises will labour make to achieve the same.
Uncle Bob,
ReplyDeleteI think you misunderstood the question. Given that your party regarded Balfe as a major acquisition I don't doubt you'd leap at Field in a heartbeat, but I was in Stratford at the time of Howarth's defection and I remember how tolerant your grassroots were about that.
"I don't wish to be rude, but doesn't BevaniteEllie look to be an insufferably arrogant person who is far too pleased with herself?"
ReplyDeleteShe needs reminded she is a nobody and she will be swept away when events completely overhwhelm.
I would hope that in a Conservative government, any GOATS would stay longer than Brown's lot, who sniffed the dysfunctional Labour mess and cleared out.
ReplyDeleteEllis Gellard is of the deluded assumption that to be a true Labour supporter you have to hate the Tories. Really winds me up.
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, Frank Field appears to be a strong parliamentarian and original thinker.
ReplyDeleteOn the other, the nature of party politics is that you stick to your tribe. I suspect we Tories would pull the rug from under a candidate who hinted s/he would serve in the government of another party.
@Nick 12:41 "On top of that, he's actually financial (sic) incompetent. "
ReplyDeleteNick, all three parties are guilty of this. The debt-deficit nightmare is being avoided by all in terms of the magnitude of the spending reductions needed to bring it to heel.
Something in the region of £200bln.
Wv: rellpiti
If he wants to be outside the party system, let the people of his constituency elect him as an independent. Until then, his job is to represent the views of the people of Birkenhead, who wanted a LABOUR government. I doubt many of them would be too happy if he served in a Tory one.
ReplyDeleteIf you want Field to have a job. Vote Farage.
ReplyDeleteAs long as we don't take back Shaun Woodward it's fine with me.
ReplyDeleteOh and Quentin Davies, when he next offers the Tory government the benefit of his service, should be politely rebuffed.
Iain,
ReplyDeleteLast year, a student Conservative activist at York University said that it was inevitable that Conservative voters would turn to UKIP in response to the Tory Party's lack of a coherent or meaningful position on Europe and that he fully understood why they were doing this.
You responded by having a full-on meltdown, screaming for his expulsion and throwing weeks-long hissy-fits at commenters here. For those of us who have read your blog for years, this was the lowest of low points. It was disgraceful and embarrassing. Your behaviour conduct was disgraceful and embarrassing.
Comparing the Labour response to Field's behaviour with your response to the throwaway comment of a student activist, Labour comes out looking calm, collected and reasonable. You come out looking not just like a habitual tantrum-thrower but like a hypocrite too.
I have no expectation that this comment will pass moderation but, nevertheless, I speak only what it is true and what all long-time readers of your blog know to be true.