Clarke is fired in Cabinet purge
Cabinet Reshuffles are always so very interesting; all about personalities, of course, and, really nothing about issues. And it's really the issues* that matter. The pundits will be examining the runes and working out whether it's the Blairites or the Brownites in the ascendancy. And, within the Blairites, it's the ultras or the capitulators.
Margaret Beckett, for whom I voted in the 1994 Leadership election, becomes Foreign Secretary. In my view she has been consistently the most reliable and principled member of the government, along with Gordon Brown, since 1997. Isn't it a sad indictment that it takes until 2006 for a woman to hold one of the Great (non-PM) offices of state.
Interesting to see David Miliband in DEFRA, possibly not the obvious choice for a rising star, but perhaps sending out a clear signal that the Environment is in the hands of the real Future Prime Minister David, not the grandstanding pretender.
I am now on my fourth Secretary of state in five years in my Department.
The General Election Campaign of June 2009** starts here; mmofm will regain its political spine. your humble editor will start attending her ward meetings in order to hold accountable her elected councillors from the ruling group.
I am astounded: Out of 63, we had 29 seats, so I knew we needed to gain 3 for an overall majority, and when I heard that Labour had taken control, I thought we might have gained 3 or 4. But the results are phenomenal:Labour has gained 10 and the Lib Dems have lost 10. There is a Green for the first time, and the Tories have also lost one. What an indictment that was on the sheer corrupt incompetency of the incumbent Tory Liberal alliance, that in an election that sees Disaster headlines for the Labour Party, that they are trounced. On their record!
I don't suppose Our Esteemed Leader has time to make one of his very occasional visits to mmofm but just in case - Steve Reed, you are a star. And my hero. And to all the phenomenally wonderful Labour Activists in Lambeth, Well Done!
Oh, I can't go to the next ward meeting, I'll be at Cyrano de Bergerac. and I'll miss the June one for Fedora. And the July one coincides with Figaro. August is a non-event, September is pencilled in for hols, October is staff conference. Oh well, I'll hold them accountable in November. Six month reality check!
* you know I'm a Bennite, don't you!
** I'm guessing - I have no insider info!
