New rumour is that Gordon Brown didn’t actually decide to keep Alistair Darling in place until this morning and that an early morning conversation with Peter Mandelson swung it.
That won’t do much for Mandelson/Balls relations, which had been patched up since Lord Mandelson’s return to government.
Ed Balls will be feeling frustrated that his hopes of moving into No. 11 have been frustrated by two Blairites – one working with Gordon Brown, one quitting the Cabinet.
A little comforted – perhaps – if his wife Yvette Cooper moves up the Cabinet table to take over Health, perhaps.
One last rumour: David Blunkett could be back in, replacing either Hazel Blears or James Purnell.
Blairites quitting only to be replaced by Blairites enormously reduces the potency of the Blears/Purnell actions.
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Apart from Mandelson’ thumbs down – Darling could have been a loose cannon on the sidelines
Don’t see how bringing Blunkett in would defuse the Blears/Purnell actions outside the Westminster village.
Career politicians, that’s the whole problem. We need people who want to serve the electorate rather than climb the greasy pole to get the Chancellors job….
I find it intriguing that the name of Charles Clarke hasn’t surfaced yet. surely if Brown is about to go, as I think he is, Charles Clarke would have his hat in the ring for the leadership?
Personally I hope they all go and fast. There isn’t any facet of the system that appears to be working in the country. Labour have destroyed Great Britain in a decade.
James Purnell…the man who wasn’t there. The man who was airbrushed in. Now the man who isn’t there anymore. Un-noticed and un-missed.
Well, now we have a new cabinet. Mmm! What a cabinet, I’ve seen a more solid stuff at the tip. We now have a First Secretary of State who certainly seems to think he has similar power and charisma to Hilary Clinton. So third time lucky for him then. I don’t think Peter Hain is so much in favour as much as he is all that is available.He and Mandy are like revolving doors. David Milliband’s flame has left his eyes. All that you can see there now is weary resignation, but clearly not enough to actually go. As for Lady Kinnock, to be. That must be a real smack in the chops for Lord Neil of Tried for Donkeys Years and Couldn’t Get Anywhere and You Come Along and Flounce In.
The Balls. In a lot of companies husbands and wives are still not allowed to work together. Could that be that when they see each other, in this case, over the cabinet table, or will chairs be shuffled so they can sit side by side, they often realise how useless the other one is?
They really should be put out of their misery
re. Barry Wheelock’s opinion that “Labour have destroyed Great Britain in a decade.”
after 25 years in the UK I find it hard to believe that Britain was “great” by any standard/measure other than deviancy and military might.
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