Conservative continuity
The promotion of , and will inevitably grab any headlines David Cameron gets from .
And these three men should do a lot to lessen the Tories image as the party of toffs, run by former members of the such as Cameron, Osborne and Boris Johnson. All three are blunt, down-to-earth, punchy politicians, good at getting their message across on TV. (And, incidentally, all three are physically big.)
But another striking feature of today's changes is the continuity. It was David Cameron's first substantial reshuffle for 18 months, yet there were remarkably few casualties. Only his Environment spokesman got the chop. Yet there had been wide predictions of a lot more dismissals - with and most commonly mentioned as casualties.
Mr Cameron may be reluctant to sack anyone outright - a problem Gordon Brown seems to have as well. As a result the Shadow Cabinet, like the Cabinet itself, has been getting bigger and bigger.
Nor did several names widely tipped for promotion get new jobs. Rising star stays with his culture brief. There's no return for to the shadow cabinet for Damian Green, as many expected following the Home Office leaks affair. Nor were there promotions for others who've been widely mentioned such as , and .
In the past Tory leaders such as Michael Howard and Iain Duncan Smith reshuffled their teams every few months - often three times a year. Portfolios passed from one person to the next like a game of 'pass the parcel'. And the same, of course, has occurred in government reshuffles, with the result that as soon as a minister or shadow minister has mastered his or her subject they are are moved on - to the detriment, surely, of good government, or of effective opposition?
David Cameron seems to want to move away from this. He has already made it known that will be health secretary if he wins the next election, and many other members of his team are continuing with the jobs they've held for several years, such as (Development) and (Defence).
Even in moving from party chairman to the communities and local government post there's an element of continuity, since she spent many years on that brief in the past.
I'm Michael Crick, and I'm Newsnight's political editor. My guiding rule is that in any story there's usually something the politicians would prefer the world not to know. My job is to find that out. Follow me on
Comment number 1.
At 19th Jan 2009, barriesingleton wrote:I I I I I I I SAY - BLAH BLAH BLAH
If Clarke brings to the Tory top table, all his trade-mark concern for the poor and dispirited, whom the Caring Cons now root for; the same huddled masses that he so adroitly served when in the tobacco industry; then the Conservatives should accrue a large uptake of addictive followers, and Our Ken's handsome remuneration will AGAIN be well 'deserved'.
That he will perform head to head with that other 'relaxee of wealth' Lord Mandy, goes a long way to define the underlying ethos of the 2009, British political scene.
Do they still take innocent school children to watch such men of status 'at work'?
PS On PM, Gummer just pronounced Clarke: "LIFE ENHANCING". Not exactly what it says on the packet.
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Comment number 2.
At 20th Jan 2009, threnodio wrote:#1 - barriesingleton
Since the tobacco industry remains one of the few growth industries, one might perhaps be forgiven for suspending one's addiction to political correctness for a moment and giving the man some credit for his business acumen. At least he is not a banker.
But seriously . . .
The Tories, under Cameron, do seem to have acquired a reputation to aloofness and the image of a party of the privileged. If they are to win the next election, they have to take steps to broaden their appeal again. If the 'bruiser element' can do this, so much the better. I for one also welcome the acceptance of Clarke's views on Europe as not being an obstacle to the front bench as an encouraging sign that the Tories might be prepared to have the debate rather than taking refuge in the populist Eurosceptic mode that is so unproductive.
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Comment number 3.
At 20th Jan 2009, barriesingleton wrote:ALL THE TALENTS (#2)
My view is that a person who can profit - KNOWINGLY - from the weakness/addiction/misery/death of others, and defend it dismissively as 'people enacting free will', is surely likely to apply a similar manner of thinking to other - as yet unknown - situations.
To my mind, it is not good to hire a pyromaniac as a baby-sitter, regardless of their proven ability in the latter role, and even having high certification.
My constant credo is that the fundamental psychology of managers, ultimately shapes management (governance).
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Comment number 4.
At 21st Jan 2009, leftieoddbod wrote:Ken is back, any man who likes jazz and a smoke, good pubs where you can be with friends and the right footware can't be all bad...pity about his mates though
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