Excuse the politics…
The Iraq War aside (yes I realize that is a rather big aside), I’ve been on the whole fairly supportive of Tony Blair in office. I do sincerely believe that his government has been good for this country, both economically and socially, following the polarizing years of Tory misrule.
Labour has had a turbulent seven days of negative headlines, a through kicking in the local elections and the Tories have slithered back towards a disturbing level electability this Thursday. Unsurprisingly a cabinet reshuffle ensued today, in which Charles Clarke took the fall for the Foreign Prisoner scandal.
None of that surprised me.
What did surprise me however Blair demoting a thoroughly good and decent Foreign Secretary (Jack Straw) this evening and replacing him with an arch-Blairite (Margaret Becket) who frankly looks like a toothy Margaret Thatcher. Seriously now, looks have got nothing to do with it really, but shuffling somebody out of a job when they’ve made the best of a incredibly tricky brief bloody well does.
Actually now that I remember it, didn’t the last Foreign Secretary resign and end up in the same job as Straw (Leader of the House of Commons), because of a disagreement over the Iraq war?
Hmmm.
Why the demotion though?
Because he was too friendly with the ‘Brown’ camp within the party? Private disagreements?
Taking in the picture, is the biggest reshuffle since 1997 really the answer to the party’s current woes? Or just shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic?
Something about reeks of desperation.
If you bring in replacements that merely see the world from your point of view then who’s going to tell the emperor he isn’t wearing any clothes one day?
Friday, May 05, 2006
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5 comments:
i think the people will tell him guy, he has done a good thing i agree from what i read but he needs to shove over now and we do need some a fresh person in the prime spot i rekon. Not thinking about a party thing especially but just a new person would be good.
Thing is, is there anyone up to it?
According to the Times today the back benchers are whispering loudly for a departure date.
See this is the thing, I do agree with his point that the party was democratically elected a year ago with him in charge.
But at the same time he's going to find it mightily hard to govern whilst a civil war is brewing within the Labour party.
Hence, this time it may be right to quell all of the whispering by setting a departure date.
I never understand people who say politics is boring y'know!
Say, Jack, which is your blog anyway? Hanni has so many links!
I fish, i restore old books and i read blogs, i blog not.
Ah fair enough, I just assumed you would have one as well!
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