Tuesday, October 08, 2013

Anything Interesting About the Reshuffles?

Apart from the people directly involved, no-one's lives are going to change as a result of the three party reshuffles held in Westminster yesterday.  We don't look at them for seismic political shifts, but see them more as cautious statements of political intent.  Thus, Ed Miliband appears to have very slightly shifted his party towards a more left-wing position and ditched a few Blairites; David Cameron has marginally increased the female profile of his party's governing ministers and shifted a little into the centre ground; and Nick Clegg has thrown a bomb into the Home Office as well as sacked a perfectly inoffensive Cabinet minister.

The most interesting move has been that of Lib Dem Norman Baker to the Home Office, as effectively the Lib Dem deputy to Theresa May.  Baker has famously cast aspersions on the suicide of scientist David Kelly (part of the collateral damage of the infamous Iraq war dossier and the Campbell/Blair feud with the BBC), suggesting he was murdered by secret service agents.  Well, now Baker could be responsible for those self same sinister services.  Apparently Theresa May - who wasn't consulted - is furious, but the rest of us should be delighted.  A genuine, campaigning anti-establishment figure is just what is needed at that emporium of state manufactured security.  Let's see how long he lasts.

Baker is a maverick in government.  Nadine Dorries is a maverick unlikely to ever be in government.  Adding greatly to the colour of the nation's political life, Dorries is standing for Deputy Speaker (to replace Nigel Evans who has resigned over sex assault charges that are about to enter the court arena).  She began a charm offensive yesterday with a nice little email to all Tory MPs.  Her charm has lasted all of 12 hours, as she launched an attack today on promoted Tory Kris Hopkins. Clearly pulling her punches, she described her Tory colleague as one of parliament's "slimiest, nastiest MPs".  That's another vote for Deputy Speaker just chalked up then!

Amongst the Cameron female promotees is Nicky Morgan who takes the post of Economic Secretary to the Treasury, and must be hoping that she doesn't suffer the same fate as the last woman to hold that position, Chloe Smith, who was effectively Paxmanated on Newsnight. If you enjoy car crash voyeurism, that interview's below.  Meanwhile, really good news for the TRG wing - or left - of the party is the promotion of forthright One Nation Tory Jane Ellison to government.



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